It took nine innings for Kentucky to grab its first lead, but it took only half of an inning for the LSU softball team to grab that lead back and seal a 4-3 extra inning victory on Saturday.
After No. 17 Kentucky tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth inning with a two-run home run, it took two extra innings for either team to break the tie. The Wildcats finally broke that tie with a solo home run in the top of the ninth, but LSU used small ball to plate two runs in the bottom of the ninth, giving LSU the opportunity for a weekend sweep of the Wildcats on Sunday.
“Our slappers, who have been the unsung heroes, finally get to be the ones in the limelight today,” said LSU coach Beth Torina. “They’ve done so much for this team all year. They finally get to be the ones that win the ballgame for us.”
Needing a run to keep the game alive, LSU junior third baseman Tammy Wray opened the Tiger ninth with a leadoff single. Torina brought speedy junior outfielder Alex Boulet in to pinch run for Wray, and the move paid off.
Boulet advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Rikki Alcaraz, then moved to third on a wild pitch from Kentucky pitcher Lauren Cumbess.
After a walk from junior outfielder Simone Heyward, sophomore outfielder A.J. Andrews executed a flawless bunt single that found a hole in the infield, scoring Boulet from third.
Heyward and Andrews then produced a successful double steal, which left runners on second and third with only one out for junior utility player Jacee Blades.
Blades came through with another clutch small ball play for LSU, slapping an infield single between the first and second basemen. Heyward came in to seal the 4-3 walkoff victory for LSU.
“Without question they were all very selfless today,” Torina said. They did their jobs and got things done.”
LSU starting pitcher Meghan Patterson pitched a solid first five innings allowing only two baserunners and one hit. But in the sixth, the junior pitcher’s night turned completely around on one swing from Kentucky short stop Christian Stokes.
Stokes launched a two-out pitch from Patterson over the left field wall, scoring herself and a baserunner Patterson had walked earlier in the inning to tie the game. Patterson immediately surrendered a double to the next batter, so Torina turned to senior ace Rachele Fico to relieve Patterson.
Fico, who pitched all seven innings of LSU’s 7-1 game one victory against Kentucky on Friday, pitched the remaining 3 1/3 innings, with her only blemish being the go-ahead solo home run in the top of the ninth. Fico was awarded her 14th win of the season for the performance.
“I think (Patterson) did a really good job today,” Torina said. “She missed one pitch, and it cost her significantly. Hopefully as we grow in this and she gets out there more, she’ll understand the mistakes she can and can’t make.”
Cumbess pitched the entire nine-inning game for Kentucky on Saturday and suffered only her second loss of the season.
LSU and Kentucky will close out their three-game series on Sunday with game three slated to start at noon. The Tigers will be looking to repay the sweep Kentucky handed them at the end of the 2012 season.
