GAINESVILLE, Fla. – For the second consecutive game, No. 5/7 LSU and No. 10 Florida went to extra innings. However, Florida took the game and series with a 6-5 eight-inning victory on Monday night at Pressly Stadium.
LSU is 31-6 this season and 9-6 in the SEC. Florida moves to 34-6 and 9-3 in league play.
After a scoreless eighth inning, Florida capitalized on an error with two runners in scoring position to claim the walk-off victory.
Florida pitcher Ava Brown (14-2) picked up the win, allowing a hit, and one batter walked with a strikeout thrown in the final 2.0 innings.
Pitcher Sydney Berzon (14-3) was charged the loss after pitching the final 3.2 innings. She dealt five punch-outs while allowing five runs on four hits with three batters walked. Pitcher Raelin Chaffin started the game on the mound, tallying two strikeouts and giving up three walks, two hits, and one run in 4.0 innings.
Four LSU batters had hits in the contest. Outfielder Ali Newland was a triple shy of the cycle after matching a career-high with three hits, including her eighth homer of the season. Outfielder McKenzie Redoutey also matched a career-best with three hits. Outfielder Ciara Briggs had two hits and a team-high two RBIs, and infielder Maddox McKee had an RBI single with one run scored.
Florida walked in a run in the first inning but was held scoreless until the sixth stanza. In the fifth, LSU jumped in front with three runs on three hits. Redoutey opened the inning with a leadoff double, followed by McKee bringing her home with a run-scoring single to tie the game. With another runner looming for LSU, Newland launched a two-run blast to center field to give the Fighting Tigers a 3-1 advantage through five frames.
Briggs extended her hitting streak to 11 games with a two-RBI double, extending the lead to 5-1. However, the Gators stormed back with four runs in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game, 5-5, thanks to a three-run triple by outfielder Kendra Falby. Both clubs remained scoreless in the seventh, sending the game into extra innings.
Up Next
LSU will play its next four games at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge, La., beginning with a midweek game versus Southeastern Louisiana at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10.