Coming off a walk-off win against Nicholls State, the No. 9 LSU softball team travels to Columbia, S.C., for a weekend series with the No. 14 South Carolina Gamecocks.
USC (18-6, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) is coming off doubleheader wins against Northern Illinois, winning 5-0 and 4-1. The Gamecocks beat Mississippi State in two games to open its conference schedule.
LSU head coach Yvette Girouard said the game is a big conference matchup, but the Tigers (18-6, 2-1 SEC) must improve in certain areas.
“We’ve got to be far better mentally at the plate,” Girouard said. “We can make anybody look good on any given day if we’re swinging at balls in our eyes.”
Infielders Amber Curtis, Danielle Quinones and catcher Ashley Smith lead USC at the plate. Curtis leads the team in batting at .419 while Quinones is hitting .293, with six home runs and 16 RBIs. Smith has four homeruns and leads the squad with 18 RBIs.
After taking two of three games against Tennessee last weekend, Girouard said the next two series will be tough because the team will be on the road.
“We’ve hit a few bumps,” Girouard said. “I would have liked to swept Tennessee.”
Kristen Schmidt will start in two games, while Tessa Lynam will be in the circle for one game, Girouard said.
“She’s [Tessa Lynam] thrown well, although she hit a bump in the road here lately,” Girouard said.
Schmidt (11-5, 0.68 ERA) said the team has had its rough spots but hopes the upcoming road games will give them confidence.
“I think we’ve been playing well right now, but we definitely know it’s going to be a tough road in the next few series,” Schmidt said. “All the teams are ranked that we’re about to play.”
Melanie Henkes is the ace of the staff and probably will take the circle for the Gamecocks. The freshman from Aiken, S.C., is 10-1 with a 2.19 earned run average. Junior Stacy Johnson (7-4, 1.51 ERA) also may see action.
First pitch is Saturday at noon, followed by a second game at 2 p.m., and the final game concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.