For the first time this season, the No. 16 LSU softball team dropped back-to-back home games after a 6-4 loss to Tennessee on Saturday.
The Volunteers jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning on runs scored by Tennessee’s Aubrey Leach and Jenna Holcomb.
However, the Tigers found the energy they were missing from Friday night in the bottom of the first.
Senior catcher Sahvanna Jaquish stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and no outs and took advantage of the opportunity.
Jaquish hit an RBI single cutting the Volunteers lead 2-1.
Freshman third baseman Amanda Doyle followed Jaquish and tied the game 2-2 on an RBI groundout.
LSU took the lead on an RBI single from Dawson.
Dawson then stole second and a throw by the Volunteers allowed Jaquish to score as the Tigers got out to a 4-2 lead.
Jaquish, Doyle and Dawson all picked up RBIs in the inning.
“That’s why we play in the SEC so we can see the best pitching and play against the best,” Jaquish said. “I don’t think any of us we’re afraid of the challenge. We prepared for how hard they threw and what they threw. We just have to catch those break.”
The four runs in scored in the first would be all that the Tigers would get in the game.
Tennessee’s Meghan Gregg scored her 10th home run of the season, this time a two-run homer to knot the game at 4-4 in the third.
The Volunteers score lone runs in both the fifth and sixth to lead the Tigers 6-4.
“We have to play clean defense,” coach Beth Torina said.
Sophomore pitcher Sydney Smith was relieved by junior pitcher Carley Hoover in the sixth after throwing 101 total pitched and one strikeout.
“The SEC is tough,” Smith said. “You have to score more than one inning. We just need to do a better job of staying throughout seven innings and giving them more than just one inning of a tough game.”
The Volunteers kept the Tiger’s hitless for four innings until a double from sophomore shortstop Amber Serrett in the bottom of the sixth.
Junior outfielder Emily Griggs went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Tigers.
Senior outfielder Bailey Landry, Jaquish, Dawson and Serrett all picked up one hit.
“We’re playing a lot better softball,” Torina said. “It’s unfortunate we got ourselves in this spot.”
The Tigers will try to avoid being swept by the Volunteers in the series finale on Sunday at 3 p.m.