KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Two RBI by Andrea Smith and a complete-game shutout by Emily Turner gave the 11th-ranked LSU softball team a 4-0 win over sixth-ranked Tennessee on Sunday afternoon at Tyson Park.
With the win the Tigers improved to 49-11 overall and finished 22-8 in Southeastern Conference play, finishing third in the league and second in the SEC Western Division. The Lady Volunteers fell to 50-9 on the year and completed the conference schedule at 21-9, earning the fourth seed in the tournament next week.
“It was good to get a win in Knoxville,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “We have struggled winning here in playing well in the past, but I was very pleased with the effort today. We met one-on-one last night with the players and the team executed the plan today to a tee.”
At the plate, Smith went 2-for-3 for the game with two RBIs, including a solo home run. In the circle, Turner shut down the nation’s top-ranked offense, holding Tennessee to just four hits with 10 strikeouts.
“Emily was very on today and set the tone for the team today,” said Girouard. “Andrea is a great shortstop for us and her hitting has really come around in the last several games.”
LSU got on the board first for the first time in the series. The Tigers got a leadoff single by Shannon Stein. After a fielder’s choice by Leslie Klein got Stein at second, Vanessa Soto singled through the left side to put runners at first and second. With two outs, Andrea Smith singled up the middle, allowing Klein to score from second as LSU took the 1-0 advantage.
“We set the tone in the very first at-bat when Shannon got the hit,” said Girouard.
In the top of the fourth, the Tigers extended their lead to 2-0. Smith led off with a solo home run to left field. The sophomore shortstop drove a 3-2 pitch over the left field fence for her fifth round tripper of the season.
LSU manufactured a run in the top of the sixth. Stephanie Hill led off with a double off the left center field wall that was just a few feet from being a home run. With Dee Dee Henderson running for Hill at second, she moved to third on a ground out by Smith. On a deep fly ball to center field by Killian Roessner, Henderson easily scored from third on the sacrifice fly to five the Tigers the 3-0 lead.
A two out single by Leslie Klein ran the score to 4-0 in the top of the seventh. With one out, Camille Harris drew a walk. She moved to second on a sacrifice by Stein. A single up the middle by Klein scored Harris from second.
With the win, Turner improved to 23-6 on the season. Her 15th complete-game shutout of the season tied her for third in single-season shutouts with former All-American and Women’s College World Series MVP Kristin Schmidt. In the third, fourth and seventh, Tennessee stranded a pair of runners on base as Turner got out of the inning, not allowing a Lady Vol to reach third for the game.
Monica Abbott took the loss to fall to 35-7 on the season. She started and allowed two runs on five hits with two strikeouts in three innings. Megan Rhodes came on in relief in the fourth and allowed two runs on three hits with a walk and a strikeout.
LSU will now face sixth-seeded Auburn in the SEC Tournament on Thursday. The Tigers took 2-of-3 from AU during the regular season, winning the first two before dropping the final game, 1-0. If LSU wins, they will take on the winner of the Georgia-Arkansas game on Friday before the championship game on Saturday.