FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In blustery conditions, four errors by Arkansas helped the sixth-ranked LSU softball team to a Southeastern Conference series sweep of the Lady Razorbacks, 3-1, on Sunday afternoon at Lady’Back Yard.
With the win, the Tigers improved to 46-6 on the season and 19-3 in league play with six conference games remaining. Arkansas fell to 20-38 on the year and 5-17 in league play. LSU remains a game ahead of Alabama in the SEC Western Division, one game behind Tennessee in the overall standings with the three-game series against the top-ranked Lady Vols scheduled for next week.
“It was an efficient day in that we managed a lot of runs with very few hits,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “We got the job done and now we head home for a mid-week game at Southeastern before the huge showdown in Baton Rouge next weekend.”
After recording 33 hits in the doubleheader on Saturday, the Tigers recorded only three hits on Sunday as LSU hit the ball hard, but right at the Arkansas fielders. Junior Tayl’r Hollis was held hitless for the first time in 16 games. The 0-for-3 mark snapped her school record 15-game hitting streak, although she did record LSU’s only RBI of the game in the top of the first inning.
“We fought through the very windy conditions and it wasn’t like we didn’t hit the ball hard, because we did,” said Girouard. “Arkansas made every play when they needed it after the first inning and we kind of had “at-em’s” disease.”
Dani Hofer started and earned the win to improve to 21-1 on the season. She allowed one run on five hits with five strikeouts in five innings. Emily Turner came on in relief in the sixth and did not give up a hit, while striking out two for her first save of the season. Turner completed the weekend with nine no-hit innings, including her first complete-game no-hitter on Saturday.
LSU took advantage of a pair of errors by Arkansas to get on the board in the top of the first. Dee Dee Henderson led off with a walk. She moved to second on the first errors by shortstop Brittany Robison as Rachel Mitchell was able to reach first. A double steal moved Henderson to third and Mitchell to second. With one out, the second error of the inning by Robison allowed Hollis to reach and Henderson to score as Mitchell took third. A wild pitch then scored Mitchell from third for the 2-0 lead.
In the top of the third, the Tigers used a third Lady’Back error to add one more to the scoreboard. Shannon Stein led off with the first LSU hit of the game. On a sacrifice bunt attempt by Andrea Smith, Stein was thrown out at second. Smith was then retired on a fielder’s choice by Jazz Jackson. Jackson then stole second and moved to third as the ball sailed into center field on the error by the catcher. On a passed ball, Jackson crossed the plate to give the Tigers the 3-0 advantage.
In the bottom of the fifth, Arkansas broke through with its first and only run of the series. Samantha Buckner led off with a double to left center. With one out, she moved to second on a sacrifice by Rachel LeMaster. With two outs, Jessica Bachkora poked a shot off the chalk just past first base for a hit that allowed Buckner to score.
Miranda Dixon took the complete-game loss to fall to 4-15 on the season. She allowed three unearned runs on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts in the contest.
After a mid-week game at Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday at 6 p.m., LSU’s final regular season home games will be a three-game series against No. 1 Tennessee next weekend. The series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday at 3 p.m., in a game time that was pushed back two hours for television, and concludes with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. The first and third games of the series will be broadcast live nationally on ESPN2, in Baton Rouge on cable channel 36.