There was a slight change of pace in the circle for LSU. The typical rotation that is usually seen throughout weekend series of Ali Kilponen starting in game one and Shelbi Sunseri starting in game two, and vice versa, was not a game plan in game two against the Gamecocks.
Kilponen started in the opening game of the series, and in game two, it was Shelby Wickersham who got the start. Wickersham played for just two innings though. In her tenure on the mound, she walked only one but allowed four hits and three runs. Surprisingly, it was not Sunseri who came in for her relief, but Raelin Chaffin, the freshman who had her first major moment in a shutout game against Alabama. This did not come as a surprise to Chaffin though. Based on her contrasting pitching style in comparison to Wickersham, she knew that she would be the one to come in as relief.
“I knew I was in relief,” Chaffin said. “Normally because Wickersham is a down-ball pitcher, and I am more of an up-ball pitcher, we tend to flip flop that way.”
In her four innings, Chaffin allowed one hit and no runs. She walked none and struck out seven in the 16 batters that she faced. This was a huge game for Chaffin, as her last few outings had been just subpar following her first SEC series showing against the Crimson Tide.
“My season started out really good with Alabama,” Chaffin explained. “That was an awesome win for us and a great confidence booster for me and then it kind of went downhill, so I’ve been kind of going up and down, up and down. So it was just really good for me to be able to get a good game in.”
Head Coach Beth Torina is excited to see just how much freshman Chaffin, and the rest of the young roster develops within the next few seasons.
“I think that we thought that when we started this whole season that our best softball was always right in front of us,” Torina said. “Just because they would continue to grow and mature throughout the season and gain experience. So, I think we have always felt like our best softball was right in front of us, and I think we are seeing that now.”
Chaffin’s performance out in the circle was stellar, but it was LSU’s hitting performance that really allowed them to take game two. The Tigers were down three runs up until the fourth inning, when a single from left center from Savannah Stewart, an RBI double to left center from Daineca Coffey, and another single from Ciara Briggs allowed runners to run the bases.
Briggs, Coffey, and Taylor Pleasants were the biggest playmakers for the Tigers defensively. Briggs and Coffey both had two hits. Briggs had one RBI while Coffey had three.
The defensive attack from a few of the key players in LSU’s lineup was monumental in the Tigers taking the three game series. Unfortunately, though, LSU did not always capitalize on runners left on the bases after each inning. In the first three innings of the game, the Tigers stranded a total of seven runners. This seems to be a weakness in their defense that they have been continuously trying to approve.
LSU will close out the series against South Carolina in game three. Though they have already won the series, Torina says she still wants to win. The series against South Carolina is the Tigers’ second SEC series win of the season.
“I think this is great, but we need to get game three,” Torina said. “We need to keep trying to win every game that we have an opportunity to win and we need to try to take care of this whole thing in game three.”
