LSU’s softball team only needed five innings to clinch its first Southeastern Conference series win of the season.The No. 19 Tigers (14-5, 2-1) raced to a 10-2 win Sunday against Kentucky (10-6, 1-2) after splitting a Saturday doubleheader with the Wildcats in heartbreaking fashion.”We could’ve finished the job last night. We could’ve come out with a win,” said LSU coach Yvette Girouard. “It was a great job by the Tigers [Sunday] with a makeshift lineup.”Freshman infielder Ashley Langoni sat out Sunday after contributing two hits and three RBI on Saturday.Freshman shortstop Juliana Santos gave the Tigers a commanding lead after just one inning. LSU loaded the bases on three consecutive base hits, and Santos brought them all home with a hard-hit grand slam to left field.”We needed to get on them early,” Santos said. “Instead of having to go back onto the field and having to finish the seven innings, we really wanted to buckle down and finish them in the five innings … They gave us that opportunity, and we took it.”An RBI single from freshman third baseman Anissa Young gave LSU a 5-0 lead after just one frame.”Obviously you’d like to start every game like that,” Girouard said. “It’s very important to set the tone, and we know that we’ve got to score runs.”At 6-2, it seemed the game was headed for a full seven innings before an LSU rally in the fifth inning sealed the win. The Tigers loaded the bases on an error, a base hit and a walk before junior left fielder Jazz Jackson increased the lead to 7-2 with an RBI single.Consecutive walks by Kentucky pitcher Amber Matousek gave the Tigers two unearned runs to put LSU within one run of the NCAA softball eight-run rule. A wild pitch with the bases loaded allowed Jackson to score, and the Tigers got an early finish.”The first series puts a stamp on the whole SEC season,” Jackson said. “It was a big deal to come in and take over early.”The win came in response to Kentucky’s comeback win on Saturday night. The Tigers led, 5-2, in the game’s final inning, but a three-RBI double from Kentucky second baseman Natalie Smith tied the game.The Wildcats added another run to start extra innings and LSU could not respond, losing, 6-5, to tie the series, 1-1.”We were up so high [Saturday],” Jackson said. “And the pitcher that pitched that game started today, so for us to take her out early [on Sunday] showed we had a lot of fight left.”The Tigers also won the series opener with a big fifth inning. Junior outfielder Rachel Mitchell and Langoni combined for two hits and three RBIs in the same inning to push past the Wildcats, 3-2, for the team’s first win of SEC play.——Contact David Helman at [email protected]