BATON ROUGE — A three-run home run by Stephanie Hill in the bottom of the fifth inning sparked a seven-run fifth inning as the 11th-ranked LSU softball team run-ruled Centenary, 9-1, in five innings at Tiger Park on Wednesday evening.
With the win, the Tigers have now won seven consecutive games and improved to 32-5 on the season, surpassing the win total from the 2005 season. LSU has also tied the 1998 season for the best start to a year through 37 games. The Ladies fell to 19-14 on the year, having dropped two straight after a loss to Missouri-Kansas City on Sunday.
Carrying just a one-run lead on four hits into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Tigers got seven runs on three hits with the aid of one Centenary error. With one out and runners on first and second, Hill nailed an 0-2 pitch down the left field line well out of the park to extend the LSU lead to 5-1.
The Tigers went on to score three more runs before a wild pitch by Ashley Lail with Andrea Smith on third and two outs gave LSU the walk-off win with Camille Harris at the plate.
Dani Hofer earned the complete-game win to improve to 11-3 on the season. Of the 15 outs recorded in the game, she recorded 14 by way of the strikeout, with the remaining out coming on a sacrifice bunt. The freshman allowed one run on five hits with one walk.
LSU got on the board in the top of the first inning. Erika Sluss drew a leadoff walk. With Dee Dee Henderson running for Sluss at first, Henderson stole second. With two outs, Henderson scored on a single up the middle by Leslie Klein to give the Tigers the 1-0 advantage.
In the bottom of the fourth, LSU added a second run. Hill led off with a single down the left field line. With Heidi Robin pinch running for Hill, Robin advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Quinlan Duhon. With two outs, Robin moved to third on a wild pitch. Pinch hitter Fallon Fisher singled to left center to score Robin from third to extend the lead to 2-0.
Centenary cut the Tiger lead to one in the top of the fifth. With one out, Dana Davis was hit by a pitch. Emerald Doria then singled to left field to move Davis to third. A sacrifice bunt by Lauren Flowers moved Davis and Doria to second and third. With two outs, Micah Rhodes was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Rhodes had to leave the game after the pitch hit her in the face and Leslie Postles came in to run for her. A bases loaded walk to Jennifer Mango broke up the shutout and got the Ladies to within one, 2-1.
Harris led off with a single to left center for LSU in the bottom half of the inning. With one out, Harris stole second before Klein drew a walk. Hill then drove a towering shot over the left field fence that easily cleared the top of the Tiger batting cages to stretch to lead to 5-1.
Duhon then singled to right center off the tip of the second baseman’s glove. On a fielder’s choice by Killian Roessner, Duhon was safe at second as the throw was not in time to get her out on the play. With runners on second and third, Lauren Delahoussaye was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Smith then hit into a fielder’s choice toward first base. On the play, the first baseman threw the ball away going to the plate, allowing Duhon and Roessner to score as Delahoussaye advanced to third and Smith went to second. A sacrifice fly to right field by Sluss scored Delahoussaye and moved Smith to third. The Lail wild pitch scored Smith to run the scored to 9-1 and close out the game by way of the eight-run rule.
Lail took the complete-game loss for Centenary to fall to 11-8 on the season. She allowed nine runs, five earned, on seven hits with four walks and five strikeouts in four and two-thirds innings.
The Tigers return to play this weekend at home against South Carolina. LSU will host the Gamecocks in a three-game Southeastern Conference series beginning on Saturday with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. and concluding with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. Saturday is Family Day at Tiger Park as the player’s families will be introduced between games. The final game of the series will be televised on SEC-TV in Baton Rouge on Fox Sports Southwest – cable channel 38.