CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A six-run explosion in the fifth inning, capped by a three-RBI double by Christy Connor and a two-run homer by Tessa Lynam, led the third-ranked Tiger softball team past No. 18 Alabama, 6-2, in the third round of the SEC Tournament on Saturday night at Jim Frost Stadium.
With the win LSU (52-9) advances directly to the SEC Tournament championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT to play the winner of the South Carolina-Georgia game. The championship game will be televised on FoxSports Southwest, Baton Rouge cable channel 37.
Georgia fought off elimination and rallied from a 6-4 deficit in the seventh to defeat South Carolina, 6-5, on Saturday afternoon to force another game on Sunday morning. Alabama falls to 46-19 on the year and is eliminated from the tournament.
“It’s been our tendency to have slow starts,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “We play these teams all year long and it is always tough to win three or four times against well coached teams like Alabama. We are always trying to get better and we challenge ourselves to play at 100 percent at all times.”
Kristin Schmidt went the distance for the Tigers in the circle, improving to 17-3 on the season. She allowed two runs on four hits and walked three. She also struck out seven Crimson Tide batters.
The Tigers got it done in the field as well, despite the one inconsequential error. After turning just four double plays the entire season, LSU tied the SEC Tournament record with a pair of double plays in the game.
The Tigers also used a pair of acrobatic diving catches by Trena Peel and Sara Fitzgerald in the outfield, a pick off play and a caught stealing to fight off any Alabama rally attempts.
Having trouble finding the strike zone in the first two innings, Schmidt gave up one run early. She allowed a hit and a walk in the first before an RBI single to centerfield gave the Crimson Tide the 1-0 lead.
After an erratic second inning, Schmidt found her stride in the third, striking out the next five Alabama batters and retiring the next seven in order before a walk broke her streak.
LSU erupted for six runs in the top of the fifth as the Tigers batted around. Back-to-back singles by Leigh Ann Danos and Megann Steege led off the inning.
After a sacrifice bunt by Blair Smith, Alabama intentionally walked Peel to load the bases. April Janzen then hit an RBI single up the middle to tie the game.
Connor then broke the game open with a double to deep centerfield that was just feet from clearing the fence for a grand slam, but scored three runs.
With two outs, Lynam nailed her seventh home run of the season over the left field fence to give the Tigers the 6-1 lead.
Alabama’s Allison Courtney launched a solo home run to right field in the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead to 6-2 before Schmidt got the final three outs in order.
LSU has now won seven consecutive SEC Tournament games, tying the league record held by the Tigers from 1999-2000.
Pairing and sites for the 2002 NCAA Regional Championships will be announced on ESPN News at 7 p.m. on Sunday evening.