April has been an up-and-down month for the LSU softball team.
The competition has been stiff – the Tigers traveled to then-No. 2 Alabama and then-No. 10 Tennessee before facing then-No. 22 Florida State at home. After that, LSU got back on the road to play No. 2 Florida.
Now, the Tigers (33-16, 13-8 Southeastern Conference) will wrap up the month against another team ranked in the top 25, as No. 12 Georgia (36-12, 12-7 SEC) comes to Baton Rouge tonight.
In six games against Alabama and Tennessee, LSU managed only one win while getting outscored 28-7.
After a win against McNeese State, the Tigers suffered an 8-1 defeat at the hands of Florida State.
But the Tigers finished that week by taking two of three games from Ole Miss.
When LSU traveled to Gainesville, Fla., on Tuesday, they dropped the first game in extra innings, 2-1, but pulled off a 1-0 upset in the second game of the two-game series.
Senior catcher Morgan Russell said the Tigers didn’t let the extra-inning loss get to them.
“You lose games that you’re supposed to win,” she said. “It happens. We just move forward. We’ve proved a lot about our character.”
After difficult outings against Alabama and Tennessee, junior pitcher Rachele Fico and senior pitcher Brittany Mack have hit their stride heading into the series with Georgia.
Fico is second in the SEC with a 1.03 earned-run average.
“I feel like our pitchers have hit their peak, and they’re going to keep moving forward,” Russell said. “It helps our team because we feed off our pitchers. When they’re doing good, we feel good.”
Mack said this year’s Georgia team looks different than last year’s No.1-ranked squad that swept LSU.
“Georgia’s hitters that I’ve always thought were the best have graduated,” Mack said. “So I definitely have more confidence.”
While Georgia’s hitting may not be quite as good as it was last year, the Bulldogs have quality pitching in junior Tess Sito and senior Erin Arevalo.
Sito has the best ERA in the conference, at 0.83, and Arevalo is third in the SEC in strikeouts tossed and fourth in wins.
LSU coach Beth Torina predicted that LSU will likely face off with Georgia in the SEC Tournament as the No. 4 versus No. 5 matchup.
Torina said the coaches always take good notes on their opponents and they may take, “way more than we need,” for the Bulldogs.
This weekend’s series will also mark the final home games for seven LSU seniors.
Russell, Mack, left fielder Ashley Langoni, shortstop Juliana Santos, infielder Cassie Trosclair, right fielder Ashley Applegate and infielder Heidi Pizer will all be honored.
Senior outfielder Katie
Guillory will take part in the ceremony, but will return next season as she is receiving a medical redshirt this season.
 
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Contact Albert Burford at [email protected]