The LSU softball team pulled off a late-game rally Sunday to secure a sweep of Arkansas and capture its 11th straight victory.
The Tigers jumped out to a first-inning lead after senior shortstop Juliana Santos hit an RBI single up the middle to bring home sophomore designated player Jacee Blades.
The RBI was No. 17 of the season for Santos.
But Arkansas wasted no time matching LSU, as Razorback junior first baseman Andrea Sullivan knocked a solo shot to center field off of LSU junior pitcher Rachele Fico to knot the game in the top of the second.
Both teams’ pitchers took over until the sixth inning, when Arkansas broke the deadlock with another solo home run, this time off the bat of sophomore shortstop Clarisa Navarro.
Santos complimented Fico’s play immediately, and the offense was inspired to get her another win.
“[Fico]’s had amazing outings for weeks upon weeks, and today she let them score two runs,” Santos said. “She missed two pitches, that’s it. We just needed to come back and win it for Rachele.”
The Tigers responded in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with one out for senior right fielder Ashley Applegate.
Applegate smacked the ball up the middle to bring home senior left fielder Ashley Langoni and Santos.
Santos slid under Arkansas sophomore catcher Jayme Gee’s glove to score the go-ahead run for the Tigers.
“I needed to score,” Santos said. “I had to be safe – there were no ifs, ands or buts about it.”
The sixth-inning rally was enough to clinch a 3-2 win for LSU.
“That’s a great thing to have as a team – the ability to come back and the ability to fight,” said LSU coach Beth Torina. “Down the road, more than hits, errors, runs, all those things, the ability to have that fight and that drive is the key.”
LSU wasted no time jumping in front of Arkansas on Saturday. The Tigers put three runs on the scoreboard in the first inning and added three more in the fourth and fifth innings to make it a 9-1 victory in five innings.
Every LSU player in the starting lineup reached base.
In Friday’s game, after six-and-a-half scoreless innings, the Tigers put sophomore outfielder Simone Heyward in to pinch hit to lead the bottom of the seventh inning. Heyward reached base on a walk and moved on to second base off of a single from freshman outfielder A.J. Andrews.
Blades singled to third base in the next at-bat. A throwing error on Blades’ hit allowed Heyward to round third and score the winning run for the Tigers.
The Tigers were aided by a three-hit, 11-strikeout performance from Fico. With a strikeout to end the top of the sixth inning, Fico moved into the No. 7 spot on the LSU softball all-time strikeout list.
 
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Contact Albert Burford at [email protected]