ATHENS, Ga. — The fourth-ranked LSU softball split a doubleheader with Georgia on Saturday afternoon, falling 13-5 in six innings in the first game before coming back to even the series with a 5-3 win in game two at the UGA Soccer/Softball Complex.
With the split, the Tigers moved to 49-9 on the year and 22-5 in Southeastern Conference play. The Bulldogs moved to 42-25 overall and 12-15 in conference action. The pair will close out the series with the rubber match on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT in a game with championship implications.
“This is not anywhere close to what I expected today,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “We’ve got to refocus and come out here tomorrow and win the series.”
LSU now sits in third place in the league standings behind Alabama and Tennessee. The Crimson Tide and Lady Vols were rained out on Saturday and will play two games on Sunday. If the Tigers knock off Georgia and Alabama and Tennessee split their doubleheader, LSU will still claim their seventh SEC Championship.
In the first game, the Tigers gave up four runs and also had control issues in the circle and the LSU bats could not quite keep pace. Adding in three Tiger errors that allowed five unearned and LSU gave up the most runs it has all season.
“We ran into a buzz saw in the first game,” said Girouard. “They just smashed us in the mouth and kept on coming.”
The Tigers rebounded in the second game to earn their third win over the Bulldogs in their last four meetings, despite committing four errors. Killian Roessner led LSU at the plate with a 2-for-3 performance, including a double and a home run, while scoring a pair of runs. Shannon Stein recorded her first home run in a Tiger uniform, a two-run shot, which put LSU in the lead for good.
“To our credit, on one of those days when not a lot goes right for you, we found a way to win,” said Girouard. “Emily (Turner) had some big, gigantic pitches in the second game. The bottom line is we have got to play better defense. If our pitching is a little suspect, then we have got to match them offensively. Killian and Shannon did a great job of helping us out at the plate in that second game.”
Turner earned a complete-game win in game two. She allowed three runs, one earned, on nine hits with three walks and three strikeouts. The senior All-American improved to 18-5 on the season and has now won five straight decisions.
In the nightcap, the Tigers loaded the bases with one out in the top of the first, but couldn’t push a run across. Georgia took the lead in the bottom half of the inning with a pair of unearned runs after two LSU errors.
In the top of the fourth, the Tigers went on top for good with three runs. LSU got a two-out homer by Roessner, her sixth of the year. After a walk by Kristen Hobs, Stein hit a home run down the left field line that just stayed fair to put the Tigers ahead, 3-2.
LSU added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the sixth. Vanessa Soto led off with a single to center field. With one out and Dee Dee Henderson running for Soto, Roessner doubled to left center to put runners on second and third. Stein then hit a ball to deep right center field that went in and out of the glove of the right fielder, allowing Henderson and Roessner to score.
Georgia got one run back in the bottom half of the inning. Kristin Schnake led off with a bunt single. A double down the left field line by Kellie Middleton got past Jazz Jackson, allowing Schnake to score on the error and Middleton to move to third. After a ground out, Georgia reached on a fielder’s choice as Middleton was thrown out trying to score. Christie Hamilton then flew out to center field to end the inning. In the bottom of the seventh, Turner retired all three Bulldog batters in order to end the game, including a strikeout of Schnake to end it.
Hamilton took the complete-game loss to fall to 15-13 on the year. She allowed five runs, three earned, on six hits with four walks and six strikeouts.
After the Tigers stranded two in scoring position in the top of the first of game one, Georgia got on the board with two in the bottom half of the inning. With one out, Sojourner Moody singled to center field. The first home run by Melissa Wood put the Bulldogs ahead, 2-0.
LSU took the lead with five in the top of the second. Vanessa Soto led off with a walk. On an infield single by Stein, Soto moved to second. The pair moved to second and third on a ground out by Andrea Smith. Henderson then reached on a fielding error by the second baseman to score Soto and send Stein to third. Henderson then stole second. Jackson loaded the bases with an infield single.
With two outs, Leslie Klein drew a walk to score the first Tiger run. A single by Roessner scored Jackson and Rachel Mitchell as Klein moved to third and Roessner took second. A single to center field by Tayl’r Hollis scored Klein to put LSU ahead, 5-2.
The Bulldogs cut the Tiger lead to two with a run in the bottom of the second. Charvi Greer led off with a single to center field. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Greer stole third. Kellie Middleton was then hit by a pitch. Middleton stole second before Moody was hit by a pitch to load the bases. A walk to Wood scored Greer.
In the bottom of the fourth, Georgia took the lead for good with three runs. Wood and Megan McAllister led off with back-to-back home runs. Hamilton then reached on a fielding error by the shortstop. With one out, Hamilton moved to second on a ground out. Schnake was then hit by a pitch. A walk to Middleton loaded the bases before a single to center field by Kacey Coonce scored Hamilton to give the Bulldogs the 6-5 lead.
Georgia went on to score four more in the bottom of the fourth, including the second home run by Wood, before ending the game early with three in the sixth, all of which were unearned.
Dani Hofer started for the Tigers and went two innings, giving up five runs, four earned, on four hits with two walks. She also hit two while striking out four. Tiffany Garcia came on in relief and suffered her first loss since March 26, 2005, snapping her 13-game winning streak, to fall to 6-1 on the year. She allowed three runs, two earned, on three hits with a walk and one hit batter in an inning. Cody Trahan closed it out for LSU, allowing five runs, two earned, on six hits with a walk in the final two and a third innings.
Kasi Carroll earned the win for Georgia to improve to 25-8 on the year. She gave up five runs, one earned, on six hits with a walk and four strikeouts in the compete-game effort.