LSU proved this weekend why it is still in the conversation for the SEC after traveling to Georgia and taking two of three games.
The Tigers opened the weekend in dominant fashion with an 8-1 victory, and came from behind Sunday taking the Bulldogs to extra inning to win 9-5 and take the series.  
Game 1
Ali Kilponen started the weekend off with a complete game allowing only four hits, three walks, and one earned run while striking out six Bulldogs in the process. This marked Kilponen’s 11th complete game as she leads innings pitched as well for the Tigers. She also improved to 15-4 on the season with the win matching her single-season record for wins set during the 2020-21 season. The only run scored came off a solo-home run in the sixth and was the only extra-base hit she allowed all game.
In the batter’s box, the Tigers gradually built up their lead with a 3-4 performance from Taylor Pleasants as she hit two doubles and a home run. Freshman Sydney Peterson hit her first home run of her career and picked up a double as well with the Tigers’ bench celebrating the accomplishments accordingly. Every Tiger in the starting lineup reached safely during the game and created plenty of problems for Georgia.
Game 2
The scoring for the Tigers carried over into game two as Georgia Clark started the game off with a three-run home run in the top of the first inning. Unfortunately, the Tigers squandered that lead and more in the bottom of the first using four pitchers in the circle and were down 12-3 after the first frame.
Shelbi Sunseri led the game off in the circle and was pulled after allowing the first five batters to reach safely, and giving up two runs. Still responsible for the three runners aboard, Raelin Chaffin entered the circle and struck out the first batter she faced. Back-to-back singles followed by a lineout to the circle had the Tigers almost out of the inning, but the fourth batter faced took a 3-1 pitch over the wall in right-center making it an 8-3 game. Head Coach Beth Torina went to the bullpen again and selected Taylor Edwards to try and pickup the final out.
Edwards was making her third appearance in the circle this season. Her last appearance came against Southeastern as she pitched only one inning and gave up two runs. Continuing the trend, Edwards wasn’t able to get the job done as she faced the next four batters allowing a single, two-run homer, walk and a two-run homerun before being pulled.
With the score now 12-3, Shelby Wickersham took the circle and stopped the bleeding forcing a ground out of the next batter to end the inning. Wickersham pitched the rest of the game, and the Tigers outscored the Bulldogs 6-4 following the first but with such a large hole to start the second inning the Tigers were not able to mount a comeback losing 16-9. Sunseri was credited with the loss giving up five earned runs, four hits and a walk without recording an out.
Game 3
With three pitchers not making it out of the first and Wickersham throwing 94 pitches to close out the game, Torina called upon Ali Kilponen in a must have game to stay above .500 in SEC play.
Kilponen threw 119 pitches during the game one win and retuning to the circle in game three had only one bad inning in a game that went to extras. During the bottom of the second, Kilponen gave up five hits and a walk, two of those hits being two-run home runs to give Georgia a 5-0 lead.
Take away that one bad inning and Kilponen threw seven innings with four hits, zero earned runs, two walks and six strikeouts. Four of those innings had Kilponen facing the minimum as she was able to work quickly through the Bulldogs.
Those two home runs were the only extra-base hits allowed all game as she was the shining ace the Tigers needed. 153 game three pitches and 272 total pitches on the weekend earned Ali some much needed rest as she improved to 16-4 on the season.
Georgia Clark went deep again this game for a grand slam during the top of the third inning. The Tigers tied the game up in the seventh inning with one out. To get this started, Sydney Peterson singled to centerfield and advanced to second base on a fielding error. KK Madrey pinch-ran and stole third base while Coffey was up to bat. Coffey, hitting .389 to start the weekend, hit a single right up the middle tying the game. Kilponen faced the minimum in the bottom of the seventh and the game was going to extras.
With two outs and a runner on second, McKenzie Redoutey knocked in the go-ahead run with a single up the middle. Morgan Cummins followed that with a two-run home run to left field, and Ciara Briggs scored the final run of the game for the Tigers on a infield single scoring a runner from third. The final for the game was 9-4 as the Tigers improved to 10-8 in the SEC.
With the Tigers returning to Baton Rouge with a 30-17 (10-8 in SEC play) record and only seven games left to play, taking two games from Georgia was huge for SEC seeding. The Tigers currently are sixth in the standings only behind Georgia due to the Bulldogs’ better 37-11 record. The last seven games will have the Tigers host McNeese State during the midweek and Florida this upcoming weekend, followed by a trip to Starkville to close out the regular season against Mississippi State.
Florida is currently seventh and Mississippi State 10th in the SEC rankings. However, Florida is ranked eighth nationally and Mississippi State outside the top-25 in the same USA Today Coaches Poll that has LSU No. 21 as of April 17. There will definitely be some movement in this poll tomorrow as Florida was swept three games at home by No. 7 Arkansas who leads the SEC conference and Mississippi State went 1-2 against Auburn in Starkville.
The Tigers have their focus set on Tuesday’s game against McNeese looking for a season sweep of their instate rivals as they bested the Cowgirls 7-1 this past week in Lake Charles.