COLUMBUS, Ga. — The No. 6 LSU softball team shutdown Illinois-Chicago, 8-0, to advance to the gold championship bracket in day two of the NFCA Leadoff Classic; however, the Tigers fell to No. 5 California in the night cap, 3-0, to move into the consolation side of the bracket.
“Well, it’s another split for the day,” said head coach Yvette Girouard. “We played hard and Forest was a really good pitcher. They have made two College World Series appearances, and I know Cal’s coach personally. We just have to learn from this. These kind of games happen. We have to come out tomorrow and make adjustments and play to win.”
The Tigers (13-3) will face No. 18 Michigan on Sunday morning at 8 a.m. in Columbus in day three of the tournament.
In game one against Illinois-Chicago, the Tigers held off the scoring until the fifth inning when Trena Peel drew a walk and scored on a ground out by Jill Crawford. Peel added four insurance runs in the top of the sixth with a grand slam to right field that scored Auburne Ziober, Stephanie Hastings and Erin Johnson. In her second time at the plate in the sixth, Ziober singled to center field to pick up two RBI when Crawford and Jennie Reeves made it home. Left fielder Dee Douglas finished up the scoring for the Tigers in the sixth by stealing home to put LSU up 8-0.
Tiger pitcher Ashley Lewis picked up the win to run her record to 6-0. Lewis worked five innings for LSU with three hits and four strikeouts. Freshman Sarah Meadors came in the sixth inning to relieve Lewis, giving up no hits and striking out one.
LSU hitters had seven hits off three different Flame pitchers. Peel led the team with her third home run of the season. Reeves went 2-for-3 and Hastings was 2-for-4. UIC pitcher Amanda Ritchie picked up her first loss of the season.
In the night cap against California, the Golden Bears started things off quick with a two run homer by Veronica Nelson in the top of the first to put Cal up 2-0.
Reeves led the bottom of the third off with a double to left field, but LSU could not put together the hits and left her at third.
Cal struck again in the top of the sixth when Nelson singled to get on and pinch runner Danielle Setiawan scored on a single by Amber Phillips to put the Bears up 3-0.
LSU pitcher Britni Sneed sat down 11 Bear batters, but it was not enough to pull out a Tiger win. Sneed (6-3) gave up four hits and walked three in seven innings of work.
Reeves came through with the Tigers’ only hit of the night at Jocelyn Forest pitched a one-hitter. Forest ran her record to 6-0, striking out 15 Tigers in the process.
Following the weekend in Columbus, the Tigers will host the Purple and Gold Challenge at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge on March 2-4.