COLUMBUS, Ga. — The fifth-ranked LSU softball team advanced into the top bracket group of play Saturday in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Lead-Off Classic with an 8-3 win over No. 20 Hawaii.
The win gave LSU an at-large bid into the Gold group where the Tigers rallied for a 6-4 win over Arizona State late Saturday evening to advance into today’s semifinals.
Julie Stashko pitched five relief innings against Hawaii and picked up her third win of the season in as many decisions.
The Tigers got all the runs they needed in the second inning, jumping out to a 4-0 lead.
Dee Douglas drove in a run when she was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and with the bases still loaded, Stephanie Hastings doubled to center field, driving in three more runs.
Stashko gave up three solo home runs to Hawaii (7-3) in the second, third and fourth innings for all of Hawaii’s runs.
But LSU answered with a Stacey Newton solo home run in the third and capped the scoring in the top of the fourth with two of the three runs in the inning coming on a Tara Asbill home run.
The homer was Asbill’s 18th of her career and gives her back the lead in the battle with teammate Ashlee Ducote for most home runs in an LSU career.
In the first of the Gold bracket games, the team traded runs in the first and then in a wild second inning, LSU had two runners thrown out at the plate which led to the ejection of LSU Coach Glenn Moore for arguing the call on the second runner.
Arizona State got a run in the bottom of the inning to take a 2-1 lead where it stayed until the fourth.
That’s when the LSU bats finally came alive with Newton driving in two runs on a single to left and Dee Douglas getting Newton home on a single to right for a 4-2 advantage.
The Tigers, 16-3, got two more in the fifth when Megan Steege and Shaunte’ Fremin had run-scoring singles.
Arizona State closed it to 6-4 with sixth inning solo home runs by Jamie Helbechuk and Missy Hixon off LSU starter Britni Sneed.
LSU 041 300 0–8 10 0
Hawaii 011 100 0–3 6 2
WP–Julie Stashko (3-0). LP — Desiree Duran (2-1). HR–LSU: Tara Asbill (3), Stacey Newton (1). Hawaii: Melissa McGie (3), Dana Degen (2), Trisha Ramos (1). T–2:05.
LSU 100 320 0–6 11 1
Arizona State 110 002 0–4 5 1