STARKVILLE, Miss. — Lauren Castle broke the school single-game record for hits as the 25th-ranked LSU softball team defeated Mississippi State, 15-9, in the Southeastern Conference series finale on Thursday night at the Bulldog Diamond.
The Tigers (18-13, 2-10 SEC) have the weekend off before facing Arkansas in a midweek conference series beginning next Wednesday with a doubleheader. The Bulldogs dropped to 23-16 on the season and 5-7 in league play.
“We finally broke through,” said head coach Yvette Girouard, who won her 999th career game and is one shy of becoming the fifth coach in NCAA Division I history with 1,000 career wins. “We are going home limping. We’ve got some problems pitching. We have players’ arms that are hurting, but I like the way this team fought.
“Obviously our backs are against the wall. We didn’t quit last night and we didn’t quit today. We are showing a lot of character and hopefully we can build on this.”
Castle broke the LSU single-game record for hits, going a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate with a double and four runs scored. While breaking the hits record, previously held by 17 people, Castle tied the runs scored record, now held by six players.
In addition, Quinlan Duhon went 3-for-5 with a doubles and three RBIs and Leslie Klein went 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs. Vanessa Soto also posted a multiple-hit game, with a 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored, while Andrea Smith was 2-for-3 with and RBI and run scored.
Freshman Tiffany Garcia earned the win for the Tigers in relief to improve to 6-2 on the season. She allowed four runs on six hits with four walks and three strikeouts in five and two-thirds innings. Emily Turner started and went an inning and a third. She allowed five runs on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
In the top of the first inning, LSU broke it open with three runs. With one out, Castle singled to left field. After she stole second, she moved to third on an infield single by Soto. A walk to Stephanie Hill loaded the bases.
Klein then grounded into the fielder’s choice as Castle scored from third and Soto was out at third. With runners at first and second, Duhon doubled to left center, scoring Hill and Klein.
In the bottom half of the inning, Mississippi State came back and scored a pair of runs. With one out, back-to-back singles to right field by Lindsay Hunley and Courtney Bures put runners on first and second. A single to center field by Tanelda McDonald scored Hunley from second and moved Bures to third as McDonald advanced to second on the throw.
On a foul ball that was caught by Lauren Delahoussaye, but her momentum carried her into the Bulldog dugout, allowing Bures to move score and McDonald to move to third. A walk and a hit batter then loaded the bases.
On a line drive to first, the runner at first, Katie Johnson, was hit by the batted ball for the third out. A long delay in making the out call for interference by the first base umpire sent Yvette Girouard out to complain and she was ejected from the game.
LSU wasted no time in getting the two runs back and add two more. Smith led off the top of the second with a single down the left field line. Camille Harris then recorded her second home run of the series as she jacked one over the fence in straight away center field for the 5-2 Tiger lead.
After a double by Castle, Stephanie Comeaux was relieved in the circle by Sara Hickerson. Soto then hit a long fly ball to center field, which Keri McFarling misplayed off of her head, allowing Castle to score and Soto to reach second. A double to center field by Klein scored Heidi Robin, pinch running for Soto, to give LSU the 7-2 advantage.
The Bulldogs scored five in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game. McFarling was hit to lead off the inning. With one out, she advanced to second on a wild pitch. Hunley then walked before Bures was hit by a pitch. Tiffany Garcia then replaced Emily Turner in the circle. An infield ground out by McDonald scored McFarling.
A walk to Jessup again loaded the bases. Callye Williams then singled to left field and advanced to second on the throw as Hunley and Bures scored and Jessup took third on a throwing error by Klein in left. A double to center field, that just tipped off the glove of a diving Harris, scored Jessup and Williams to tie the game.
After Kelli Miller came on in relief of Hickerson in the third, she shut the Tigers down until the fifth inning. Duhon led off with a single to center field. With Lauren Uhle running for Duhon, she was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Delahoussaye. A wild pitch sent her to third before an RBI single to center field by Andrea Smith scored Uhle to break up the tie and give LSU the 8-7 lead.
In the top of the sixth, the Tigers erupted for four more runs. Castle singled through the right side with one out. The ball got past Kinney in right, allowing Castle to move to third before she scored on a throwing error by Kinney to extend the lead to 9-7.
Hill then singled down the left field line, lining one past the third baseman. The second double of the game by Klein scored Hill from first. Duhon then singled up the middle and moved to second on the throw as Klein scored from second. Delahoussaye then singled just behind first base on the line, sending Duhon to third. Smith then struck out swinging, but reached on a passed ball as Delahoussaye moved to second and Duhon scored for the 12-7 advantage.
After facing just one over the minimum after the second, Garcia gave up back-to-back singles in the bottom of the sixth with two outs. Bures reached on a single through the right side. On a single up the middle by McDonald, Bures advanced to third as McDonald moved to second. Jessup then singled to right center, scoring Bures and McDonald to cut the Tiger lead to 12-9.
Harris led off the top of the seventh for LSU, reaching on a fielding error by the third baseman. A single through the right side by Castle, her fifth of the game, broke the school record. On the play, Harris was thrown out trying to advance to third as Castle took second. A double to left center by Soto scored Castle from second. Soto then moved to third on a wild pitch.
Ragan Blake replaced Miller in the circle for the Bulldogs. After a walk to Hill, she moved to second on a ground out by Klein. Duhon then reached on a throwing error by McDonald at third base, allowing Hill and Soto to score and run the lead to 15-9.
Miller took the loss in relief for Mississippi State. She allowed seven runs, five earned on 10 hits with two strikeouts in four and a third innings. Comeaux started and allowed six runs, five earned, on six hits with a walk in an inning and a third. Hickerson came on in the second and allowed one unearned run on one hit with a walk and a strikeout in two-thirds innings. Blake closed out the final two-thirds of the seventh. She allowed one unearned run with a walk and a strikeout.
LSU 340 014 3 – 15 17 1
Mississippi State 250 002 0 – 9 10 6
Turner, Garcia (2) and Hobbs. Comeaux, Hickerson (2), Miller (3) and Johnson.
WP – Garcia (6-2). LP – Miller (8-5). HR – Harris.
T – 3:13. A – 303.