STARKVILLE — The No. 11 LSU softball team used an eight-run fifth inning to beat Mississippi State 12-1 in five innings Sunday on Super Bulldog Weekend at Nusz Park.
The victory helped the Tigers (32-13, 7-11 Southeastern Conference) win the three-game weekend series. A 5-2 victory in 12 innings late Saturday night gave LSU its first win of the weekend.
“We just have to make some things go a little more offensively and put a little bit more pressure on the other team,” MSU coach Vann Stuedeman said. “They just hit the ball very well, and I tip my hat to them. We have to make little improvements.”
MSU (23-20, 3-12) took a 1-0 lead in the first when senior Kayla Winkfield led off with a bunt single. An error moved her to second before a sacrifice bunt moved her to third. Sophomore Calyn Adams laid down a squeeze bunt to score Winkfield to make it 1-0.
LSU capitalized on an error in the second to tie the game. In the third, the Tigers took a 3-1 lead on a sacrifice fly and a double to left-center field. Another sacrifice fly in the fourth made it 4-1.
With the bases loaded and no outs in the fifth, the visitors capitalized on a wild pitch and a walk to extend their lead to make it 6-1.
Sydney Smith (7-2) picked up the complete-game victory, allowing two hits and no walks. She struck out three.
Freshman starter Cori Cooper (3-2) suffered the loss, allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits and three walks in two innings.
n On Saturday, MSU couldn’t break through an win the series in front of a record-setting crowd of 1,612 and suffered a 5-2 loss in 12 innings.
“We have had some extra-inning marathons we haven’t been able to come out on top of,” Stuedeman said. “In the bottom of the seventh we had chances to score and it is a tough game to lose. We had some incredible defensive plays and a lot of things went our way, but it didn’t show up on the scoreboard.”
In the bottom of the sixth, junior Amanda Ivy reached on a bunt single. A shot by junior Mackenzie Toler to left center gave MSU a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the seventh, LSU answered with a solo home run to tie the game. Following a pitching change, LSU added another run on a double to take a 2-1 lead.
In the bottom half of the inning, Winkfield was hit by pitch and advanced to second on a single by junior Caroline Seitz. The Tigers went to the bullpen in an effort to seal the victory, but a wild pitch scored Winkfield to tie the game.
LSU used a leadoff triple and a sacrifice fly in the 12th to take the lead. A two-run double to center extended the margin to 5-2.
Reliever Carley Hoover (12-6) collected the victory, allowing one hit and in 5 2/3 innings. She struck out six.
Junior Alexis Silkwood (3-6) took the loss. She allowed four runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings of relief.
MSU will play host to Southern Mississippi at 6 p.m. Tuesday (SEC Network+).
n South Carolina 7, Ole Miss 5: At Columbia, South Carolina, the Rebels came up short on a back-and-forth day offensively and lost to the Gamecocks on Sunday in the final game of the three-game weekend series at Carolina Stadium at Beckham Field.
The teams posted 22 hits, as neither starting pitcher lasted a full three innings. After the Gamecocks (32-12, 5-10) chased starting pitcher Kayla Landwehrmier with three runs on two home runs before she could record an out, Ole Miss scored five in the third to re-set the table.
Madi Osias went four innings in relief and gave up five hits, three earned runs, and walked four to suffer the loss. Elisha Jahnke limited the Gamecocks to three hits and one unearned run.
After South Carolina took what looked to be a comfortable lead, Ole Miss threatened in the second when the Rebels put runners on the corners, But, Grayce Majam was called out at second stealing on a very close play that stranded two of the Rebels’ eight runners on the day.
But, in the next opportunity at the plate, Ole Miss exploded for five runs, the seventh time this season plating five or more in a frame, to go up 5-4 thwarting the early momentum.
Elantra Cox led it off with an infield single, before Hailey Lunderman reached on a sacrifice bunt and throwing error. After a fielders choice that resulted in Cox being out at the third base bag, Ashton Lampton roped a 2-RBI double into right center making it a 4-2 contest. Alex Schneider then drove in her lone run on the day after an infield RBI single, before Dakota Matiko drilled another two-run double in the same spot as Lampton, pushing the Rebels in front 5-4.
The Gamecocks responded in the bottom half after a sacrifice fly scored the tying run, but Osias worked out of a potential jam getting a strikeout and groundout to limit the damage.
From there, the Gamecocks went on to post single runs in the fourth and fifth off a sacrifice fly and error, in what would be the final tally on the day.
Dakota Matiko went 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Alex Schneider was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while Elantra Cox was 2-for-3 in the leadoff spot. Ashton Lampton had a two-run double.
Ole Miss will play host to Memphis at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
n Southern Mississippi 3, North Texas 2: At Hattiesburg, the Golden Eagles (23-23, 10-8 Conference USA) earned their first sweep of a league series since 2011 with their one-run victory Sunday.
Southern Miss now has its most wins since it won 25 games in 2010. Southern Miss’ 10 wins in C-USA play are tied for the second most wins since 2006.
Samantha Robles allowed two unearned runs on five hits and a walk. She struck out six strikeouts.
Tori Dew and Rachel Johnson each notched a team-best two runs. R. Johnson scored the game-winning run on a double-steal attempt in the bottom of the sixth inning. Dew doubled and scored a run, while Lauren Holifield also came around to score. Samantha Papp drove in the only run of the game with her first collegiate sacrifice fly.
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