On Friday, LSU faced its most formidable test to stay undefeated in SEC play in Game 1 versus Georgia.

The Tigers’ offense started hot, with a home run from Sierra Daniel in the second inning, and they followed it up with two more in the third. It didn’t take long after for the Bulldogs to score two runs.

Georgia matched the LSU’s scrappy energy. Both teams fought for everything. In the fifth inning, the Bulldogs tied the game up.

It was a surprising pitchers’ duel for a game between two potent SEC offenses.

Tigers’ ace Sydney Berzon had her most challenging outing yet. She walked a season-high three batters, and Georgia capitalized on uncharacteristic mistakes.

The game was knotted at three in the seventh inning. The Cardiac Kids struck again with a Danieca Coffey double in the top of the seventh to score Daniel. Jaila Lassiter got a hit to score Coffey for an insurance run.

Despite the walks, Berzon showed her worth to LSU during the series’ first game. If there was any doubt that she wasn’t the staff’s ace, Berzon proved it on Friday.

After the Tigers went up by two in the top of the seventh, Berzon bullied through the Bulldogs batting order. She held the sizzling Georgia offense to five hits throughout the game.

The defense stepped up to bail themselves out of trouble in the bottom of the seventh. After a lead-off base hit for the Bulldogs and an error that allowed two runners to run with no outs, Berzon recorded a big strikeout.

Shortstop Avery Hodge recorded an out to Daniel at second, and on a wide throw to Tori Edwards at first, a runner tried to advance to score. Edwards threw the runner out at the plate to end the game. It was a 6-4-3-2 double play that brought the 5-3 victory home for the purple and gold.

Playing on the road isn’t easy in the SEC, and LSU held their own. They held their composure well in their first close game of the season. No other team has matched the Tigers’ energy and kept the big bats off the board like the Bulldogs did on Friday.

Even during the close game against Kentucky, the big bats did the job for the Bayou Bengals. This game against Georgia was an authentic pitchers’ duel, where passing the bat was key.

In the preseason, LSU head coach Beth Torina wanted to toughen this Tigers team before conference play started. This game has given this team more chances to show their fight.

“I think we’ve preached some different things to this group and just try to be more durable throughout the season,” Torina said. “How do we give them that toughness to go through the grind of SEC play, where you’re playing a top-10 team every weekend, and one of the things we wanted to do was just build in some toughness and the speed game.”

This challenge for LSU ended in a 5-3 victory. They hope to continue their winning streak in Game 2 versus Georgia on Saturday.