Game two in the LSU/South Carolina series was just as much of a fight as the first, but this time it didn’t end as well for the Tigers.
LSU came into the first inning strong with freshman pitcher Ali Kilponen putting up a three up, three down featuring two strikeouts. The Tigers put up the same energy on offense with senior utility player Elyse Thornhill doubling to right to give LSU a two-run lead going into the second inning.
South Carolina answered in the top of the second and tied up the game. One run came from a fielding error on LSU and the other from an RBI. LSU’s center fielder Aliyah Andrews did make a fantastic dive catch to get a much needed out. However, LSU didn’t let this slow them down at all.
The Tigers regained the lead in the bottom of the second with a hit from Andrews to pull in an RBI, followed by a hit from senior infielder Amanda Sanchez to do the same. The Tigers entered the third inning leading 4-2 over the Gamecocks.
“South Carolina is a great team,” Sanchez said. “They have a great offense. They play hard and tonight we couldn’t stop them right away or quick enough so they came out on top.”
The third inning really showed what South Carolina was made of. Kilponen kept dishing out walks which caused South Carolina to score off of a walk when the bases were loaded. After this coach Beth Torina called for a pitching change to freshman Shelby Wickersham. The Gamecocks got another walk to boost their score and a double to pull in two RBIs.
LSU went into the bottom of the third inning trailing 6-4 and couldn’t catch up. The Tigers held off the Bulldogs in the fourth, but couldn’t score any runs for themself. Wickersham picked a little momentum in the top of the fifth starting with a strikeout. LSU’s defense helped straight away and got South Carolina off of the plate with two more outs.
The Tiger offense fought back, but left two runners on base and still trailed the Bulldogs by two going into the sixth inning. The Tigers gained some momentum in the sixth inning after not allowing the Bulldogs to score. Sanchez took the plate and hit a home run into left center to give LSu their first run since the second inning. LSU headed into the seventh down by one.
“[The home run] felt good,” Sanchez said. “I was just trying to see the ball, hit the ball. Our pitchers kept us in the game within two runs so I knew out offense could get that back. I was never worried.”
The Tigers fight and make big plays on defense, but allow the Bulldogs to gain one more run. The Tigers entered the bottom of the seventh down by two in an attempt to turn the game around. Senior infielder Shemiah Sanchez took the plate first, but struck out swinging giving LSU their first out.
Senior utility player Elyse Thornhill is walked to get the Tigers a runner on first, but that was the only chance the Tigers had. Two more outs sealed a Bulldog victory in Tiger Park. LSU is now 1-1 on the series and will face South Carolina for the final game Sunday at 1 p.m.
“[South Carolina] did a good job,” Torina said. “We gave too many free passes tonight. We skipped too many people, too many opportunities to turn their lineup over. I hope we can attack the hitters a little bit better [tomorrow] and attack the zone. Hopefully we can make some end game adjustments and be a little better.”
