April 19, 2014
COLUMBIA, S.C. – LSU (27-19, 8-9 SEC) used a 10-run sixth to capture a 14-1 win in six innings on Saturday evening over South Carolina (29-17, 8-12 SEC) to claim the series win.
Tiger freshman Sahvanna Jaquish went 5-for-5 with a double, a triple, an RBI and three runs scored. Four other Tigers had two hits each, with both Allison Falcon and Tammy Wray posting identical 2-for-4 days with two runs scored and two RBI. Wray and Bianka Bell homered, while Falcon added a double.
Wray hit a two-run homer in the second to give LSU the early lead. Sandra Simmons started the inning with a single but was forced off on Falcon’s grounder ahead of Wray’s blast. Two more Tigers reached after the homer, but Gamecock junior catcher Sarah Mooney caught a runner at second too far off the bag, throwing behind the runner where senior second baseman Dana Hathorn relayed to third in time to complete the pickoff. LSU added another when Falcon singled home Jaquish with two outs in the third.
South Carolina tried to get on the board in the fourth, getting back-to-back walks by Mooney and senior right fielder Chelsea Hawkins, but the Tigers’ starter Baylee Corbello induced a grounder before freezing her counterpart to end the inning.
Jaquish, who led off the fifth with a single, scored the fourth LSU run on Simmons’ groundout. Jaquish moved to third on a Gamecock error.
The Gamecocks loaded the bases in the fifth but only scored one run. Sophomore left fielder Alaynie Page doubled to start the frame, and walks to senior Ashlyn Masters and junior Olivia Lawrence packed the bases around a foul out. Junior centerfielder Kristen Struett laced one but right to the LSU centerfielder, deep enough though to score Page on the sacrifice fly. South Carolina thought it loaded the bases again on a walk to Mooney, but she had not been reentered into the lineup after Yeske ran for her in the fourth, nullifying her free pass and ending the inning.
LSU seized the momentum from there, scoring 10 in the sixth. Three Gamecock errors helped, but so did the three-run homer by Bell. Alayna Falcon also had a pinch-hit two-RBI double in the frame.
Corbello (13-7) tallied the complete-game win, giving up one earned run on two hits and eight walks in the six innings. She struck out four. Gamecock redshirt junior Julie Sarratt (14-10) took the loss, allowing 10 runs, seven earned, on 13 hits while striking out two.
Page had a double, while redshirt freshman Lauren Masters tallied the only other Gamecock hit in the first. Hawkins walked three times, and five others drew one walk each.
The Gamecocks and Tigers conclude the three-game series with a 1 p.m. EDT first pitch on Easter Sunday at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
