The cold could not keep the crowd away as No. 9 LSU (23-6, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) defeated No. 7 Florida (24-5, 2-3 SEC) 8-0 on an overcast afternoon at Tiger park.
Junior pitcher Maribeth Gorsuch continued her breakout campaign by showing her perseverance throughout the game in a number of tight situations.
Gorsuch finished the day with impressive numbers against an impressive team by going the distance and allowing no runs on three hits.
Florida did constantly provide pressure on the base paths, but made two critical mistakes that resulted in two long balls that gave the Tigers the early lead.
The game started as most of the Tigers’ games have started before with a defensive battle through the first, but LSU broke out the scoring in the second inning.
Senior infielder Shemiah Sanchez stepped in the box and immediately walked around the diamond as she contacted on the first pitch and sent it on a rope over the left field fence to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead that they never relinquished.
A mixture of dominant pitching and sure handed defense kept Florida at bay for the rest of the contest as the Tigers paid close attention to detail and did not commit and error.
The Tigers scored another run to cement the lead in the third as senior infielder Amanda Sanchez appeared to get hit by the pitch, but the play was ruled that she leaned into the pitch and was forced to continue the at bat.
Florida would wish that they would have walked her. Amanda Sanchez turned on the next pitch and sent it over the right field fence for a solo shot to increase the lead.
The scoring was not done as one of the most powerful hitters in the country decided that she wanted in on the home run parade.
In the bottom of the fifth, Shelbi Sunseri got her chance and did not miss it.
With Amanda Sanchez on first, she sent the ball just over the left field fence for a two run blast which gives her 12 on the season and six away from the LSU record.
The Tigers end up winning by mercy as they continued to string hits together and eventually get the win on a passed ball that scores the eight and deciding run.
The win was a total effort for the Tigers as they made the ball look big and also took care of the ball in the field.
While this win helps turn tomorrows matchup into a decider and boosts the confidence of the team after a tough loss, coach Beth Torina knows that Florida will not shy away from the game.
“They [Florida] is going to show up ready to go,” Torina said. “They are going to give us their best game so we are going to have to throw punches and stay in our plan.”
The Tigers look to put the plan into action as the rubber match of the series will take place tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Tiger Park.