Despite a rain delay and a protested game, LSU split a doubleheader with Arkansas on Tuesday night at Tiger Park.
LSU (39-12, 15-7 Southeastern Conference) eight-run ruled the Lady Backs, 10-1, in five innings but fell short, 6-5, in game two. The rubber match will resume today at 1 p.m.
The Tigers opened the first game with a two-run triple from Camille Harris in the second inning. The left fielder was 2-for-2 with three RBIs in the game.
“I’ve been putting extra work in the [batting] cages,” Harris said. “I’ve been zoning out a lot for outside pitches, but tonight they were throwing me inside. The key thing was to put the ball in play. As long as you hit it somewhere, all the balls have eyes.”
After a one-hour rain delay in the second inning, LSU gave up a run on a Heather Schlichtman solo home run. The Lady Backs (23-31, 7-19 SEC) would get no closer, as LSU torched them for eight runs in the bottom of the fourth.
The Tigers reeled off five straight hits, including RBI singles from Blair Smith and Harris and a two-RBI triple from Sara Fitzgerald. Tessa Lynam and Christy Connor then hit back-to-back home runs to ice the win.
LSU coach Yvette Girouard said the team did not make the defensive plays in the second game to get the second win.
“We let that one get away from us,” Girouard said. “We come out hitting the ball again, and we had opportunities early to put them away.”
Kristin Schmidt (24-10) got the win in game one and took the loss in relief in game two. She pitched a complete game in the first outing, scattering three hits and striking out 10 batters.
Heather Schlichtman (11-17) took the game one loss. In an odd occurrence, Schlichtman was hit by four pitches but forced to stay at the plate for three of them because the umpire ruled she did not try to get out of the way.
LSU also jumped on Arkansas early in the second game, gaining a 2-0 advantage on a two-run single from Hughes in the third inning. The junior center fielder, who was 4-for-5 in the doubleheader with a stolen base and two runs scored, said her performance helped the team win game one and keep the score close in the next game.
“Overall I think we had a pretty good day,” Hughes said. “My speed is a very big factor. When I’m on base it makes the coaches happier because I can wreak havoc on the base paths.”
After falling behind 3-1, the Lady Backs rallied to score five runs and took a 6-3 lead into the seventh inning.
LSU managed to score two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a RBI single from Lynam and a RBI from Leigh Ann Danos, who reached on an error.
With one out, Girouard argued with officials when Schlichman appeared to enter the game for the third time, and she said she officially protested the game. In softball, a player is not allowed to re-enter more than twice.