OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — The golden arm of Britni Sneed and a determined bunch of LSU Tigers held on 13 innings to oust the defending national champion Oklahoma Sooners, 2-1, at the Women’s College World Series in the Don E. Porter Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Tigers now face undefeated UCLA at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The game will be carried live on ESPN2. The LSU Sports Network will broadcast the game on 107.3 FM in Baton Rouge and over the Internet at www.LSUsports.net.
“It was an incredible day for the Tigers,” said head coach Yvette Girouard. “Ashley pitched a great game earlier today, and Britni after giving up that one pitch in the first, shut them down. What a game! No matter win or lose, this was a fun event to be involved in. Oklahoma is a great team, and I have much respect for Patty Gasso and what she had done for the sport of softball. I told the Tigers to go out on the field and totally enjoy the whole game and they did.”
It was errant throw by shortstop Kelli Braitsch that sent catcher Jennifer Schuelke across the plate for the unearned run in the bottom of the 13th to win the game. Senior Ashley Lewis hit a hard grounder that Braitsch sent sailing to the fence.
Junior All-American Britni Sneed hurled the 13 innings for the Tigers. She shattered the Southeastern Conference record for strikeouts in a single season, with her count standing at 405. The former record was held by South Carolina’s Trinity Johnson with 399 in 1997. Sneed also set a school single game record with 19 K’s for the game. Sneed allowed eight hits, one run and walked a season high five. Her record stands at 36-6 for the season.
“God blessed us with the win tonight. That game could have either way. Tonight it was totally adrenaline,” said Sneed. “Oklahoma is a great team. We came this far, and I decided that we couldn’t give up now. I started feeling it around the 10th, but my adrenaline held on.”
Braitsch started things out early for the Sooners with a home run to lead off the top of the first. After walking the number two batter, Sneed caught Oklahoma senior All-American Lisa Carey looking at a strike and her defense came up with a stellar double play to end the inning.
Sooner Jennifer Stewart held the Tigers back, pitching four perfect innings to start the game. But Christy Connor changed things for LSU with her first hit of the WCWS, a single up the middle. It was freshman Julie Wiese who came up with a big hit for the second time in the day. Wiese singled to center field to send pinch runner Sara Fitzgerald home from second to tie the ball game at 1-1.
Aleshia Perry started the bottom of the sixth with a hard hit ball past the third baseman, and Dee Douglas followed by displaying her running skills to put runners on first and second. But Perry was picked off at second, and LSU could not come up with the clutch hit to send home a run.
Connor came up with a clutch hit with a second single up the middle to lead off the Tiger half of the inning. Trena Peel laid down a perfect bunt single to put runners on first and second with no outs. But Stewart retired the next three batters, catching two Tigers looking, to send the game to extra innings.
Sneed struck out the side in the top of the eighth, and Stewart answered back by retiring the Tigers in order, striking out one. The Sooners threatened in the top of the ninth with back-to-back hits with one out. However, the Tiger defense kept them silent retiring the next two batters.
LSU’s Schuelke doubled down the left field line in the bottom of the 10th with two outs. Pinch hitter Auburne Ziober got a single to send pinch runner Jennie Reeves rounding third to be thrown out at the plate.
Sneed loaded the bases issuing two walks and giving up a hit, but she quickly came back to catch the next two batters swinging to retire the side. With the third out, Sneed broke her own single-game strikeout record with 16. She added two more K’s to her game total in the top of the 12th retiring the lead-off batter and Braitsch, who had the homer in her first at bat.
Sneed held on in the top of the 13th, retiring one at the plate and looking to April Janzen for help with the next two putouts.
The Tigers had eight hits off Stewart. Stewart allowed two runs, walked none and K’d eight Tigers at the plate. Christy Ring was on the base paths in each of her six at bats, with four hits and two walks.