COLUMBUS, Ga. — LSU catcher Jen Schuelke , hitting just .152 and with just two hits since March 24, blasted a two-out, first-inning bases clearing triple to help the seventh-ranked Tiger softball team to an 8-0 victory over Auburn in the final game of the first day of the Southeastern Conference softball tournament.
The game was shortened to five innings by the eight-run mercy run, marking the second straight year LSU has opened the tournament with an 8-0 five inning win. The Tigers had 13 hits in the game, setting an SEC Tournament record.
The top-seeded Tigers (54-10) will play fourth-seed Arkansas, a 2-1 winner over fifth-seed Mississippi State earlier in the day, in the final game Friday at South Commons Stadium beginning at 7 p.m. CST. The game will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Network (107.3 FM in Baton Rouge) and on the Internet at www.LSUsports.net.
Auburn, the eighth seed, drops to 34-30.
In the other opening day games, Alabama, the third seed, downed sixth seed Florida, 1-0, and seventh-seed South Carolina got two runs in the bottom of the seventh to drop second-seed Kentucky, 2-1.
Friday’s schedule will find Florida and Kentucky meeting at 11 a.m. CDT, and Mississippi State and Auburn facing each other at 1 p.m. in elimination contests. Besides LSU and Arkansas in the night session will be Alabama and South Carolina at 5 p.m.
“Coming off two losses at the end of the season, the question was whether we would respond positively to the mistakes we made and we worked on those things in practice and we did respond positively,” said LSU Coach Glenn Moore.
Schuelke’s blast off the plastic temporary center field fence cleared the bases and was the crowning blow in a four-run bottom of the first in which Schuelke almost didn’t come to bat.
LSU loaded the bases with its first three hitters as Dee Douglas singles, Steph Hastings walked and Tara Asbill had a bunt single. After a force out at the plate, Shaunte’ Fremin would get the first run home, but not without controversy that could have ended the inning before Schuelke got to the plate.
Fremin hit a ball that went up the middle for a base hit, but as the ball was rolling through the infield, Asbill collided with Auburn shortstop Kimball Pratt. Third base umpire Randy Davidson ruled Asbill out for the collision, but after LSU Coach Glenn Moore argued, Davidson asked home place umpire Tim Houchin for help. He ruled the collision did not affect the base hit and ruled no out and allowed LSU to keep the bases loaded, setting up Schuelke for the early game breaker.
“I guess the biggest highlight is Jennifer Schuelke,” said Moore. “We really needed someone in the bottom part of our order to come around. That’s kind of what we expected to happen at this time of the year. We want our kids who have been hitting well to continue and then have someone step up.”
LSU would add a run in the second on a Hastings single driving home Auburne Ziober and got two in the third on a single by Trena Peel and Hastings on a groundout.
Britni Sneed would go the distance with strikeouts in running her record to 24-6, one shy of tying the school record of 25 wins set a year ago by Ashley Lewis who is expected to the start in Friday’s game.