TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — After a grueling 11-inning 1-0 loss in the first game, the LSU softball bounced back to pound the Crimson Tide, 9-1, in five innings in a Southeastern Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at the Alabama Softball Complex.
The loss in the first game of the split ended the Tigers (31-8, 16-3 SEC) 10-game winning streak and the loss in the second game ended Alabama’s (33-12, 14-3 SEC) 15-game winning streak. The pair will play the final game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Southwest, Baton Rouge cable channel 37.
“We have now lost two games to Alabama and allowed only two hits in both of those games,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “To Alabama’s credit, they made all the plays they needed to make defensively and they deserved to get the win in the first game.
“Going into the second game, our players knew what was at stake. We still have a lot of softball to play, but we couldn’t afford to drop two games to Alabama and lose any ground. Our bats finally exploded and we got nine runs on 12 hits and didn’t make any errors.”
Kristin Schmidt got the win in game two, throwing the five-inning complete game two-hitter. She allowed one run while striking out two and not giving up a walk to improve her record to 11-3 overall and 5-2 in the SEC.
After being shutout in the first game, LSU struck early in the second game.
The Tigers put up two runs in the top of the second inning. Erin Johnson led off the inning with a single to right field. Julie Wiese, who went 3-for-3 in the game, then doubled to left field and advanced to third on an error by the left fielder, scoring Johnson from first.
Leigh Ann Danos then grounded out to the third baseman, allowing Wiese to score from third and give the Tigers the early lead.
LSU opened the game up in the top of the fourth inning with four more runs.
Wiese knocked an infield single to second base to lead off the inning. Danos then singled up the middle and Wiese advanced to second.
Blair Smith then reached first and advanced to second on a throwing error by the pitcher on a sacrifice bunt attempt that scored Wiese and put Danos on third with LSU leading 3-0. After a Sara Fitzgerald line out, Trena Peel singled to deep in the hole at shortstop to score Danos from third and advance Smith to third.
Peel then stole second before April Janzen knocked a two-RBI single to score Smith and Peel and put LSU up 6-0. Christy Connor flew out to centerfield and Megann Steege grounded out to shortstop to end the inning.
The Tigers added three more in the top of the fifth inning as Johnson led off with an infield single. Wiese then tripled to right centerfield to score Johnson. After Danos lined out to the third baseman, Smith singled to right field to score Wiese.
Fitzgerald grounded out to second base as Smith advanced to second. Peel then singled to score Smith from second before Janzen grounded out to end the inning.
Alabama got one run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Angela Johnson led off the inning with a double, the second Crimson Tide hit of the game. After a ground out, Johnson reached third on a wild pitch and then scored on a fielder’s choice. Schmidt got Jackie Wilkins to ground out to second base to end the game.
In the first game, the Tigers and Crimson Tide battled for 11 inning and over three hours before Suzanne Olcott knocked an RBI single to left centerfield to score Jennifer Reach from third to break the scoreless tie and give Alabama the 1-0 win.
The loss dropped Britni Sneed’s overall record to 17-5 and 11-1 in the SEC, snapping her 34-game SEC winning streak. While allowing only two hits and not allowing an earned run in the loss, she tied her season high with 17 strikeouts in the complete-game effort.
“We just didn’t get a break in the first game,” said Girouard. “Of course, we didn’t make our own breaks. We got a Peel home run called back in the third inning and that hurts.”
Alabama got the first hit of the game in the bottom of the first inning as Jackie McClain doubled down the left field line with two outs, but Sneed go Lacy Prejean to strike out looking to end the inning.
The Tigers finally got their first runners on base in the top of the third inning with two outs. Crimson Tide pitcher Shelley Laird issued a walk to Fitzgerald before Peel hit what appeared to be a two-run home run down the right field line, but was ruled a foul ball by the first base umpire. Laird then walked Peel before Janzen fouled out to the catcher to end the inning.
LSU got its first hit of the game in the top of the fourth as Connor led off the inning with a single down the left field line. After Aleshia Perry came in to pinch run for Connor, Steege sacrificed Perry to second base. Wiese then struck out for the second out of the inning before Johnson walked to put runners on first and second, but Smith popped up to the shortstop to end the inning.
The Crimson Tide got their second base runner in the bottom of the fourth inning as McClain advanced all the way to second on a throwing error by Wiese. McClain was stranded at second as Sneed struck out Prejean and Courtney to end the inning.
Johnson reached and advanced to second on a dropped fly ball error to Steege in right field in the bottom of the fifth inning. After advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, Sneed struck out Leah White and go Jennifer Reach to fly out to left field to end the threat.
LSU threatened in the top of the seventh as Johnson doubled to right centerfield with one out, but both Tiger pinch hitters struck out to end the inning.
After issuing a lead off walk in the bottom of the seventh inning, Sneed struck out the next three Tide batters to get out of the inning and send the games to extra innings.
LSU stranded a pair on base in the top of the eighth inning. With two outs, Janzen doubled down the left field line before Laird intentionally walked Connor. Steege grounded out to the shortstop to end the inning.
Neither team had another base runner until the bottom of the ninth inning when Sneed hit Prejean with two outs, but got Ashley Courtney to pop out to the Connor at first to end the inning.
The Tigers once again stranded a pair of runners on base in the top of the 10th inning. With the international tie-breaker rule in effect, Blair Smith started the inning on second. After being sacrificed to third by Reeves, Fitzgerald popped out to the shortstop for the second out. Laird then walked Peel, before Janzen fouled out to the third baseman to leave runners at the corners.
Alabama also began with a runner at second base. Johnson popped up for the first out. Capper Reed then reached on the third LSU error of the game as Prejean advanced from second to third. Reed advanced to second on catcher’s indifference before White struck out swinging and Reach popped up to second base with runner’s on second and third to end the threat.
Janzen started the 11th inning on second base. After Laird intentionally walked Connor, Steege lined into a double play that got Janzen out at second. Wiese then struck out to end the inning.
Alabama started with Reed on second in the bottom half of the inning. After she was sacrificed to third, Olcott singled to left centerfield to score Reed from third for the game-winning run.