BATON ROUGE — The LSU softball team picked up a hard-fought 7-6 victory over the Alumnae Saturday at the new Tiger Park.
Down 7-3 entering the final inning, the Alumnae rallied for three runs aided by a Stephanie Hill bases loaded walk and a two-run single by current assistant coach Kristen Hobbs. With runners on first and second, Rachele Fico secured the win by striking out former All-American Jodi Otten.
The Alumnae also received a strong offensive performance from Dee Dee Henderson, who stole three bases and scored in the fifth inning on a Hobbs squeeze bunt.
“This was truly an awesome event, and I want to thank LSU for allowing us to have this on a football game day,” head coach Yvette Girouard said. “It was an honor to welcome back our sisters who wore the purple and gold. You always have to honor your history and never forget where you come from.”
The Tigers jumped out to a 7-0 lead highlighted by a five-run fifth inning. With the bases loaded, Ashley Langoni cleared the bases with a double into the left centerfield gap.
The game remained scoreless through the first two innings as 2004 Women’s College World Series MVP Kristin Schmidt recorded a trio of strikeouts and received a spectacular diving catch from Stacey Newton in centerfield to save a run.
Casey Faile drew a leadoff walk in the third and pinch runner Tiffany Shaw stole second. She moved to third base on a Courtney Hollier single. With one out, Morgan Russell knocked a RBI ground out to give LSU a 1-0 lead. It was the final batter Schmidt faced before handing the ball off to former All-American Emily Turner.
“Kristin is still one of the best in the game and she gave our offense fits,” Girouard said. “I went in the dugout and told the pitchers, it’s all about location. You don’t have to throw the ball a million miles an hour to be successful and Kristin is a prime example of that.”
LSU continues the fall season playing host to a pair of tournaments over the next two weekends at Tiger Park.
“The fall is all about learning and just putting people in situations to see who can make plays,” Girouard said. “We’ve had basically three days of practice and lifted heavier than we ever have in the weight room. I like where our team is right now.”