FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The No. 18 LSU softball team reeled off a 10-4 game two victory after falling 8-7 in the first game against Arkansas Friday at Bogle Park to open an SEC weekend series.
The Tigers (24-10-1, 9-6-1 SEC) maintained a .006 percentage point lead over Arkansas (24-16, 10-7) for second place in the SEC Western Division.
“We were able to produce in primetime situations on offense, but we weren’t hitting our spots in the circle,” head coach Yvette Girouard said. “We have to put together all three facets of the game to be successful tomorrow in the rubber game.”
First pitch of Saturday’s rubber game is on-tap for 12 p.m. and will be broadcasted live on The X 104.5 and 104.9 FM in the Baton Rouge area. Patrick Wright and Matt Dunaway are set to call all of the action and live stats also are available on LSUSports.net. The game also is televised live by CST.
Game 2 ? LSU 10, Arkansas 4
LSU fired out to an 8-0 lead after posting multiple runs in each of the first three innings. All eight runs were scored with two outs as Ashley Langoni cranked a two-run double to left field in the first inning.
The Tigers strung together six consecutive hits in the second inning to push the advantage to 6-0. Jessica Mouse started the rally with a double followed by a trio of RBI-singles by Kirsten Shortridge, Jazz Jackson and Juliana Santos. A Mitchell RBI-double into the left centerfield gap capped the frame.
Anissa Young extended the third inning with a walk and Mouse belted a two-run homer to make it 8-0.
Arkansas responded with four runs in the home half of the frame as Kayla Johnson, Miranda Dixon and Sandra Smith tallied RBIs to chase Shortridge from the circle.
Casey Faile tossed 4.1 innings of three-hit relief. She mowed down seven batters against three walks and hasn’t allowed an earned run in her last 22.2 innings of work.
“Casey did an excellent job of going after them in the circle,” Girouard said.
LSU tacked on insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings aided by RBIs from Jackson and Faile for the final margin of 10-4. The first five Tiger hitters finished with seven of the team’s 10 RBIs.
Game 1 ? Arkansas 8, LSU 7
Down 3-2 heading into the fifth inning, LSU erupted for five runs highlighted by an Anissa Young three-run home run to grab a 7-3 advantage.
Miranda Dixon hit a two-run homer and Whitney Cloer added a bases loaded walk to draw the Razorbacks back to 7-6.
Arkansas scored an unearned run on an Ashley Langoni throwing error to tie the score at 7-7 in the seventh inning. Two batters later, Brittany Robison provided the walk-off hit for the 8-7 win.
Brittany Mack had her eight-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 10-2 in the circle. She was touched up for three hits and four walks in her one inning of relief.
Brittany Griffiths gave the Razorbacks a 1-0 edge with a RBI-double in the second inning. After a two-run single by Ashley Langoni in the third inning gave LSU a 2-1 lead, Griffiths added a two-run homer in the fourth inning to put Arkansas ahead, 3-2.