On Friday, LSU sophomore pitcher Allie Walljasper didn’t fall in line and succumb to the normalities of collegiate softball.
Pitchers and home runs rarely intersect, but Walljasper fused the two together in Friday’s series opener, and No. 8 LSU defeated No. 10 Georgia, 5-4, behind her bat.
The Tigers (27-8, 4-6 SEC) were down to their final out trailing No. 10 Georgia, 4-1, when coach Beth Torina made the unconventional call to bring in Walljasper to pinch hit. Walljasper came into the game with just two hits this season.
And, she made her third hit count.
The sophomore swung on a 0-2 count, and blasted a two-run home run over the left field wall to cut the Bulldogs (30-6, 4-3 SEC) lead down to 4-3. After the longshot, freshman left-handed pitcher Kylie Bass entered the contest hoping to secure the game’s final out.
She didn’t.
LSU’s rally continued as junior outfielder Bailey Landry was walked and freshman pinch hitter Shemiah Sanchez was hit by a pitch, putting two runners on base for senior third baseman Bianka Bell.
The senior took advantage, and hit an RBI single up the middle to equalize the game at four score apiece. An eventual throwing error sent the ball back into the outfield and allowed a fifth Tigers run to score.
After a leadoff single in the bottom of the final frame, LSU Sophomore Carley Hoover retired the final three batters, completing the improbable comeback. The victory ended a four-game SEC losing streak for LSU.
Bulldogs starting pitcher senior Chelsea Wilkinson stifled the Tigers’ offense for most of the game. She held LSU to just two hits through five innings.
Wilkinson allowed five of her seven hits and each of her three runs during the final stretch.
Hoover had a shaky start, as well, and threw 18 balls in her first 40 pitches and allowed all four Georgia runs in the first three innings. She regrouped and became a catalyst for the comeback as only two Bulldogs reached the basepath in the final four innings.
The Tigers will attempt to win the series in Game 2 at 1 p.m. on Saturday.