May 7, 2011
by Koby Padgett
Assistant Media Relations Director
BATON ROUGE, La. – An 11-hit barrage helped No. 21/23 LSU (37-15, 18-9 SEC) take the second game of the series over South Carolina (26-29, 6-21 SEC) in front of 1,515 fans at Tiger Park.
The Tigers struck in the third, getting three RBI singles from Lauren Houston, Morgan Russell and Tiffany Shaw. Three more runs crossed in the fifth for LSU on Simone Heyward’s RBI single and Anissa Young’s two-run hit. Junior Kierstyn White came on with two on and one out in the fifth and ended the threat, getting a pop out and a ground out, both to second, to escape the jam.
The Gamecocks posted their only run in the sixth when freshman Chelsea Hawkins sent the 2-1 pitch over the wall in left for her first career homer.
South Carolina threatened twice, getting two runners on in both the second and fourth. Singles by junior leftfielder Kaitlin Westfall and freshman second baseman Dana Hathorn gave the Gamecocks a pair on with one down in the second before LSU starter Rachele Fico got a strikeout and a foul out. Singles by senior rightfielder Laura Mendes and Westfall started the fourth, but the Tigers snuffed out the threat with a strikeout and two ground balls.
Fico (14-9) got the complete-game victory, scattering eight hits while striking out 10 in the contest. Gamecock senior Ashley Chastain (4-5) took the loss, giving up three runs, two earned, on six hits and three walks. She struck out two. White helped keep South Carolina in the game with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief.
Sophomore shortstop Samie Garcia and Westfall both had a pair of hits in the contest. Young led LSU with a 3-for-4 day and two RBI. Morgan Russell also went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Hawkins had the only extra-base hit of the contest with her blast.
South Carolina looks to salvage the third game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. CDT. Fans can follow the action with the live audio feed on GamecocksOnline.com.
