BATON ROUGE – The No. 14 LSU softball team opened a critical SEC week with a pair of 7-1 and 2-1 victories over Ole Miss Wednesday at Tiger Park in-front of 1,172 fans.
The Tigers (23-4, 5-0 SEC) extended their winning streak to 18 games, the longest in head coach Yvette Girouard‘s tenure at LSU.
“It took everyone-the pitching staff especially,” Girouard said. “I thought Cody [Trahan] was in control [during game one], and [Brittany] Mack was little bumpy [in game two]. [Rachele] Fico came in, and closed the door in the second game. She had some great defensive plays behind her. What can you say about Kirsten Shortridge? She took the game into her own hands with her speed and turned it on tonight for us.”
The LSU duo of Brittany Mack and Rachele Fico outdueled Ole Miss’ Becky Nye in the second game as LSU made the most of two unearned runs to earn a 2-1 victory.
With one out in the third inning, Kirsten Shortridge legged out an infield single. She stole second base and used alert baserunning to advance to third base on an Ashley Applegate groundout. Shortridge’s speed caused Nye to misfield a Rachel Mitchell ground ball to give LSU a 1-0 edge.
The Rebels (16-12, 3-4 SEC) responded in the fifth inning as Cali Overbeck knocked a leadoff double. Pinch runner Alise Doubt moved to third base on a Courtnie Ghinaudo ground ball and scored when Corrine Doornberg slapped a RBI-single to chase Mack from the game.
Shortridge used a similar script to score in the home half of the frame. An infield hit, stolen base and fielding error by Doornberg at second base scooted far enough away to allow Shortridge to cross the plate to give the Tigers a 2-1 advantage.
“I only know one speed to go,” Shortridge said. “Adrenaline pumps, and your team is behind you. Everyone is fighting for the same goal. Manufacturing all the runs you can is critical, especially in the Division I collegiate level.”
Fico retired eight of the nine batters she faced in 2.2 frames of relief and tallied two strikeouts to secure the 2-1 triumph. She improved to 9-2 and picked up her eighth consecutive win.
Mack received a no-decision in 4.1 innings of work. She was touched up for one run on five hits and fanned four against one walk. Nye went the distance for Ole Miss and dropped to 4-6.
Ahead 1-0 in game one, LSU took control of the game in the fourth inning. The Tigers reeled off six runs as Anissa Young set the table with the first of two doubles in the frame. Juliana Santos followed with a single to put runners on second and third.
Pinch runner Jackie Victoriano scored on a passed ball after a Courtney Hollier strikeout, while Morgan Russell executed a textbook squeeze bunt to plate Santos to push the LSU lead to 3-0.
The Tigers went ahead 4-0 on an Allison Falcon RBI-single. After a Jessica Mouse fielder’s choice, Shortridge and Applegate reached to load the bases. Rachel Mitchell coaxed a walk to force in a run to make it 5-0.
Young capped the frame with another double that scored Shortridge and Applegate to knock Ole Miss starter Brittany Barnhill from the game.
Lauren Grill popped a leadoff homer in the sixth inning to bring the Rebels back to 7-1. That would be the lone blemish on Cody Trahan‘s performance, who tossed six impressive innings to remain perfect on the season. She sprayed five hits and tacked on six strikeouts to move to 7-0.
“The biggest difference [from last season to this season] has been our team chemistry,” Trahan said. “On and off the field, everyone supports one another. When you are like that off the field, it shows, and we know if we mess up, someone is going to be behind us to pick us up.”
LSU continues its SEC home slate against Auburn as the program plays host to Alumnae Weekend. Both Saturday’s doubleheader and Sunday’s single game get underway at 1 p.m.
Live stats for the entire series are available in the Geaux Zone on LSUSports.net along with live in-game updates via www.twitter.com/lsu_softball.
LSU HEAD COACH YVETTE GIROUARD QUOTES
Opening statement …
“It took everyone-the pitching staff especially. I thought Cody (Trahan) was in control (during game one), and (Brittany) Mack was little bumpy (in game two). (Rachele)Fico came in, and closed the door in the second game. She had some great defensive plays behind her. What can you say about Kirsten Shortridge? She took the (second) game into her own hands with her speed and turned it on tonight for us.”
On what Kirsten Shortridge was able to do in tonight’s game …
“The (Ole Miss) pitcher (Becky Nye) was so worried about her with two outs (in the third inning) that she didn’t field the ball cleanly and Shortridge scored. She can beat out an infield hit. Sometimes, I forget how fast she is.”
On Cody Trahan‘s pitching …
“I thought she, for the most part, was starting ahead. She ran into a little trouble where she was working behind, but that’s been the key for Cody this year, working ahead.”
“She begged me not to go to the bullpen. I wanted to put Rachele in there because I wanted her to get some innings in case she had to go to her in the second game. She begged to stay in, but I told her it was for the good of the team along with her back and her arm down the road.”
On the upcoming game against Auburn …
“Anna Thompson is a very fine SEC pitcher. She is one of the better pitchers in the country. If we chase pitches, she will make us look silly. We have to do some in-focus practice for the next two days.”
LSU PLAYER QUOTES
On coming out with an early lead …
“It is always important, especially for our offense. Defensively, to get everyone motivated on offense. When you can put them away in the first inning, it’s good to keep them off balance.”
On the importance of being able to pitch a complete game …
“As a pitcher, it’s what we strive for. We have enough pitchers that we don’t have to throw a complete game. When we can throw a complete game, we can give someone a rest. We know that if anything happens, we have someone behind us. That gives us the ability to go out there and throw without being worried. We know as a pitching staff we can shut them down.”
On winning two games back-to-back ….
“It’s everything. The biggest difference has been our team chemistry. On and off the field, everyone supports one another. When you are like that off the field, it shows, and we know if we mess up, someone is going to be behind us to pick us up.”
On Auburn coming in for the weekend …
“It’s good coming off wins like these, we don’t have to wait a week to see our next opponent. We come in here two days later against Auburn at home. It’s a chance to keep rolling in the SEC. We need to get the wins if we can get them. We have such a tough conference, so we have to make sure we play hardball.”
On managing to manufacture runs …
“It’s extremely important. I only know one speed to go. Adrenaline pumps, and your team is behind you. Everyone is fighting for the same goal. Manufacturing all the runs you can is critical, especially in the Division I collegiate level.”
On slap-hitting …
“I saw the defense shifting a little bit. I tried to show some bunts and mix it up a little bit to keep them on their toes and guessing.”