COLUMBUS, Ga. — The seventh-ranked LSU Tiger softball team once again won a game in dramatic fashion Sunday as top-seeded LSU defeated No. 5 seed Arkansas, 4-3, in ten innings to win its first Southeastern Conference tournament at South Commons Stadium.
The Tigers had to rally from a 3-1 deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning as Shaunte’ Fremin doubled to right field to drive in two runs to tie the game and force extra innings.
Designated hitter April Janzen opened the inning by reaching on an error by second baseman Aly Sartini, who dropped the ball on an easy pop up. Pitcher Ashley Lewis then singled to put runners in scoring position. Fremin, who drove in the winning runs in the Tigers’ win over Mississippi State Saturday night, came up with the timely hit as her double scored Janzen and Auburne Ziober, who was pinch running for Lewis.
In the bottom of the tenth, the difference for the Tigers came when Dee Douglas singled to shortstop Tiffany Woolley to reach base for the first time of the game. Trena Peel followed with a double to left field, advancing Douglas to third. Pitcher Tammy Kincaid intentionally walked Tara Asbill to load the bases and Ashlee Ducote drove home Douglas with the tournament winning run on a single to right field.
“What can I say this team continues to come through with the timely hits when needed,” said LSU head coach Glenn Moore. “This team refuses to lose even though we didn’t play our best game in the final game. We haven’t played well in this tournament the past two seasons and we needed to overcome our mental block and I think we’ve overcome what we needed to the past four days.”
LSU finished as the only undefeated team in the tournament, downing Georgia (8-0), Arkansas (10-0), before last night’s extra inning win over Mississippi State (2-0), before Sunday’s 10-inning victory.
The Tigers, 54-8, played four players on the SEC All-Tournament team, including Tournament Most Valuable Player Lewis. The others include shortstop Asbill, first baseman Fremin and outfielder Douglas. This was Douglas’ second consecutive year to be named to the team.
Lewis picked up her third consecutive win in the tournament to run her record to 25-3 and in the 10 innings she allowed no earned runs and nine strikeouts.
All three of the Arkansas runs were set up by LSU errors. In the top of the first with two outs, catcher Danica Howlett reached first base on an error by first baseman Shaunte’ Fremin and took second on the overthrow and third on a pass ball by catcher Jen Schuelke. Jen Cirigliano then doubled to right center to score Howlett to give the Lady’Backs a 1-0 lead.
LSU tied the game in the fifth as Stephanie Hastings led off with a single down the third base line. With Janell Deslattes in to pinch run, an April Janzen single and a Lewis sacrifice set up Fremin to again produce with an RBI-scoring single to right.
Arkansas looked to put itself in great position for the SEC’s automatic bid with single runs in the sixth and seventh to take a 3-1 lead. But LSU had the answer again to continue this season which has also seen the seventh-ranked Tigers win the SEC regular season championship with a league record 27 wins.
“This tournament really boosted our confidence heading into Regional play,” said Moore. “I feel like right now we are peaking at the right time and playing as a team rather than individuals. I feel like that is what won this game. All season we have played together and we have come together at the right time and come up with the big wins like this one.”