TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Riding a 10-game winning streak, the fifth-ranked Tiger softball team travels to take on No. 15 Alabama in a three-game series in a battle of the Southeastern Conference’s top two teams beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Alabama Softball Complex.
The Tigers (30-7, 15-2 SEC) are coming off SEC series sweeps of Arkansas, then-No. 21 Georgia and then-No. 24 South Carolina. LSU posted shutouts in all three games of the Arkansas and South Carolina series and have allowed only three runs in the last 10 games.
Alabama (32-11, 13-2 SEC) enters the game with a 14-game winning streak after taking a doubleheader from Jackson State on Wednesday. The Crimson Tide have also posted SEC series sweeps over Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida.
“This is a big series for us, the one we have been waiting for,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “The winner of this series will likely win the SEC Western Division and possibly the SEC title.
“Alabama is one of the best team’s in the league and we will have to stay focused and play with confidence to beat them at their place. We swept them in Baton Rouge last season and we will have to be on top of our game to try and repeat that feat again this season.”
In the circle, the Tigers are led by All-American Britni Sneed. The senior from Houston, Texas, is averaging 11.35 strikeouts per seven innings and needs just 35 strikeouts to pass former Cal State Fullerton and South Carolina pitcher Trinity Johnson and move into eighth place in NCAA history in career strikeouts.
Against Arkansas, first baseman Christy Connor led the Tigers from the plate. The junior batted .500 with five RBIs and two runs scored. She also hit a home run for a .875 slugging percentage.
The pair will play the final game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be televised in Baton Rouge on Fox Sports Southwest, cable channel 37.