A weird game with uncharacteristic errors led to LSU’s loss to South Carolina in Game 2 on Sunday.
After game one’s big win for the Tigers, the Gamecocks struck early and left LSU scrambling to come from behind for this victory.
South Carolina took a page from the Bayou Bengals’ book, scoring in the first inning from no hits.
The game continued to be a pitchers’ duel, with neither team recording a hit until the third inning when Savanna Bedell singled to center field.
There is no pitchers’ duel without the pitcher who got it done.
Sydney Berzon got the ball for the Tigers in the circle. The day off on Saturday gave the Tigers a chance to use their ace for game two of the series.
Berzon did what she always does, proving why LSU head coach Beth Torina has high praise for her. She worked out of several jams throughout the game but found herself causing one late in the game.
She struggled to find and keep her groove throughout this game. Berzon hit and walked more batters than usual.
After going hitless, the Tigers finally scratched across a run to tie the game in the third inning. After Bedell’s single, Danieca Coffey scored her from second on a single that ate up the South Carolina shortstop.
Bedell’s single didn’t prove to be a fluke. In the fifth inning, she put LSU on top for the first time on Sunday with a home run to left-center field.
The rotating spot at designated player keeps changing every weekend, and Bedell proved why. With about three other players getting the DP spot throughout the season, this game proved why it hasn’t been one consistent person.
Everyone on this team can get it done for the Tigers.
LSU got in some trouble in the top of the seventh inning, allowing South Carolina to take a late lead, but the Tigers were out for blood.
Bedell had another big hit in the seventh inning to put Sierra Daniel in scoring position, and Coffey hit a sacrifice fly to bring her in. That was all the Tigers got, sending them to the eighth inning.
Although this game started slow, it was a routine softball game by every merit. These teams matched each other’s energy well, keeping both teams in the game.
When one team gets a hit, the other does, and when one team makes an error, the other does.
LSU has shown that they can compete with the best. This game was no exception.
It could’ve been easy for the Tigers to lay down when losing and being no-hit, but they didn’t. Once they got one runner on, they continued to fight for that runner to score.
This LSU team is highly versatile, and the preseason’s extreme focus on speed is starting to show up when things get dicey.
Speed wasn’t everything LSU needed to get the job done. The errors and walks made throughout the game caused the second loss of SEC play for the Bayou Bengals.
Although this game might not have gone in the Tigers’ favor, they showed their fight nonetheless.
The Gamecocks bested LSU 5-3 in eight innings of play. Following this game on SEC Network, the Tigers will try to take the series this afternoon.
