LSU vs. Arizona Box
LSU vs. UMass Box
PHOENIX — After scoring 29 runs on day one of the tournament, the LSU team was shut out by the No. 3-ranked Arizona Wildcats, 10-0, before coming back to beat Massachusetts, 9-0, in the nightcap on the second day of the Fiesta Bowl Classic hosted by Arizona State in Phoenix and Tempe, Ariz.
LSU improved to 3-1 overall, as it begins its 2001 season in Arizona.
“We came back with lots of pride against UMASS tonight,” said head coach Yvette Girouard. ” I thought that the girls really gave it their all after a tough loss this morning. Arizona is a good team, and we just did not produce. But tonight everything was in place defensively, and we hit the ball.”
The Tigers had trouble to start the day as Arizona jumped on the Tiger pitchers with 13 hits. The Wildcats scored an unearned run in the first inning when Toni Mascarenas doubled to left field to score Lauren Bauer, who reached first on a Tiger error. It was once again a double by Mascarenas in the third that drove in two more Wildcat runs.
The Wildcats would score four runs in the sixth inning with back-to-back solo homers by Mackenzie Vandergeest and Allison Andrade. Mascarenas hit a two run homer to complete the scoring for the inning. Arizona pitcher Jennie Finch hit a solo homer in the seventh followed by a two run homer by pinch hitter Jenny Gladding to give the Cats the 10-0 win.
Britni Sneed went five innings for the Tigers with seven strikeouts and eight hits. Freshman Sarah Meadors finished the game for the Tigers with two strikeouts and five hits. Wildcat pitcher Finch went seven innings giving up only two hits and striking out seven.
The Tigers pulled ahead early in the first inning of game two when Aleshia Perry stole third and scored on the catcher’s over throw third base. LSU added another run in the top of the second when designated hitter Christy Connor doubled to left center and pinch runner Kelly Levesque scored on a double by Jill Crawford.
Freshman Julie Wiese singled to center field to send home shortstop Stephanie Hastings in the third inning. Crawford, Hastings and Wiese all crossed the plate in the fourth inning to bring the Tiger lead to 6-0.
Wiese’s third hit of the evening was a three run homer to right field in the top of the sixth inning that scored Hastings and Perry and made the score 9-0.
The Tiger bats combined for 11 hits off UMASS pitcher Jennifer Hadley, who had seven strikeouts. LSU pitcher Britni Sneed picked up her second win of the season. Sneed went four innings for the Tigers only giving up two hits and striking out six. Ashley Lewis pitched two innings for LSU with four strikeouts and only one hit.
LSU concludes the weekend with a 9 a.m. match-up with UNLV before taking on Arizona State at 1 p.m. on Sunday in Phoenix, Ariz.