ATHENS, Ga. — A five-run seventh inning gave the eighth-ranked LSU softball team a doubleheader split with No. 11 Georgia, falling 1-0 in the first game before winning 5-4 in game two on Saturday afternoon at the Georgia Softball Complex.
The Tigers improved to 23-9 overall on the year and 4-3 in the Southeastern Conference. Eastern Division leader Georgia moved to 30-5 overall and 9-2 in league play.
After being shut out of the first 13 innings of play, LSU put up five runs in the top of the seventh inning to steal a 5-4 win from Georgia and prevent the Tiger’s first doubleheader defeat since 1998.
“I wasn’t real happy with how we played for 13 innings,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “You have to be happy with the way your team fought back in that last inning. I’ll always take a win and we showed some guts, but I was wondering where it was for 13 innings.”
The amazing comeback began with back-to-back singles by Julie Wiese and Alicia Owen that put runners on first and second. Leigh Ann Danos then nailed a double to left centerfield to drive in Wiese and Owen and cut the Georgia lead to 4-2.
With one out, LaDonia Hughes reached on a two-base error by the first baseman on a sacrifice bunt attempt, allowing Jennie Reeves, pinch running for Danos, to score from second. Sara Fitzgerald then singled to left field and advanced to second on the throw, scoring Hughes from second to tie the game. Fitzgerald then scored on a single to centerfield by Camille Harris and a throwing error by Nicole Barber from center, giving LSU the 5-4 win.
After Tessa Lynam threw the first six innings to earn the win and improve to 11-1 on the season, Kristin Schmidt came in to close out the game. She struck out two of the final three Georgia batters as the Bulldogs went down in order in the bottom of the seventh to give Schmidt her second save of the season.
“Kristin Schmidt did a great job today,” said Girouard. “I knew I was going to come back with her in the seventh inning. When it looked a little hairy there at the beginning of the game, I thought seriously about brining her back in, but I didn’t know if I wanted to show Georgia that much of her since she was going to have to throw again tomorrow. She’s a smart, tough cookie so I knew there would be no problem with her rebounding from the first game.”
Lynam allowed four runs, three earned, on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Lacey Gardner got the loss to fall to 8-3. She allowed three earned runs on seven hits with one walk, while striking out four.
Laurie Davidson came on in relief in the top of the seventh to throw one inning, allowing two unearned runs on two hits.
LSU threatened earlier in the game in the top of the second inning. Christy Connor led off with a walk. She moved to second on the sacrifice bunt by Wiese. After a line out by Owen, the Bulldogs intentionally walked Danos to put runners on first and second. On a ground ball by Blair Smith, Danos was hit by the batted ball for the third out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the inning, Georgia struck first with two runs. Shannon McKeon led off the inning with a walk. On a fielder’s choice, McKeon was out at second as Courtney Knight reached first. Julie Milner then hit a home run to left centerfield for the 2-0 lead.
After a single by Ashley Godfrey, Jade Jarvis reached on the fielder’s choice. A triple to right center by Barber scored Jarvis from first for the 3-0 advantage.
In the top of the fourth inning, Lynam led off with a double to the right centerfield gap, but the Tigers could get her no further. Connor lined out hard to the second baseman before Wiese and Owen grounded out to the infield.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Georgia extended its lead to 4-0. Kim Wendland reached on a two-base error by Owen at first. Green then drew a walk to put runners on first and second. After a sacrifice bunt by Knight moved Wendland and Jessica Malcolm, pinch running for Green, to second and third, a fielding error by Smith at shortstop scored Wendland from third.
The Bulldogs took that 4-0 lead into the seventh inning before LSU used the five hits and two Georgia errors to put up five runs and take the 5-4 win.
Schmidt got the complete-game loss for LSU in game one to fall to 12-7 on the year. She allowed one run on two hits with a walk and seven strikeouts.
Michelle Green earned the win to improve to 21-2 on the season. She allowed three hits with five strikeouts.
Georgia scored the game’s only run in the bottom of the first inning.
Barber was hit by a pitch to lead off. After she stole second, she was sacrificed to third. With two outs, she scored on a pitch in the dirt by Schmidt that got away from Reeves to give the Bulldogs the 1-0 lead.
“We know that this is a very, very good Georgia team and give credit to Georgia,” said Girouard. ” We knew we had our hands full. In the first game we made one mistake and they made it count.”
The Tigers threatened in the top of the third inning. Megann Steege led off the inning with an infield single. She advanced to second on a long fly out to left field by Reeves. On a wild pitch, she moved to third, but LSU could not push the run across the plate. Harris struck out swinging and Hughes popped out to the third baseman to end the inning.
Georgia ended Schmidt’s bid for the no-hitter in the bottom of the third inning with a two-out infield single by Barber. Barber was then thrown out on the next play on a fielder’s choice by Katie Lewis.
Fitzgerald hit a single to left field to keep the Tiger’s hopes alive in the top of the seventh inning. Lynam then popped up a sacrifice bunt attempt for the first out. A deep fly ball to left field by Connor was caught before a strikeout by Wiese ended the LSU comeback attempt and the game.
The series will conclude with the rubber match on Sunday beginning at noon CT. LSU has not lost an SEC series since the final conference series of 1998, going 41 consecutive series without a loss.
The Tigers will close out its three-series SEC road trip at Starkville, Miss., this week with a three-game series with Western Division rival Mississippi State beginning with a doubleheader on Wednesday and concluding with a single game on Thursday.