No. 11 LSU Strikes Early, Late To Turn Back Bulldogs In Series Opener
May 25, 2016 | Softball
* Official Statistics
* Official Statistics (PDF)
BATON ROUGE, La. - LSU got a pair of runs in the bottom of the first and sixth innings to provide more than enough offense for starter Emily Turner as the 11th-ranked Tigers took the front half of a series-opening doubleheader from visiting Mississippi State on a 5-0 victory over the Bulldogs Wednesday afternoon at Tiger Park.
Courtney Bures walked and singled in three trips to the plate and Katie Johnson and Michelle Kinney both turned in a 1-for-3 lines to provide all the offense for Mississippi State (30-12. 4-14 SEC) who dropped their 12th straight game, tying a single season record for consecutive losses initially set by the inaugural 1982 fastpitch squad in Starkville.
LSU (42-7, 15-4), who took a weekend series from then-#3 Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., over the weekend, got a perfect 2-for-2 plate showing from Lauren Castle in recording its second-straight series win over the Maroon and White.
MSU starter Stephanie Comeaux (14-7) scattered four hits and surrendered a pair of earned runs before nagging soreness to her right bicep ended her appearance prematurely after four innings of work. Turner (19-3), the reigning USA Softball National Player of the Week, struck out eight and gave up just three hits en route to her 12th shutout of the season.
"We just didn't get anything done at the plate," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "They got a few dink hits and some walks at the wrong times for us, and then they drove them in. That's what good teams do. I thought (Emily) Turner pitched a great ball game for them, but it came down to us not producing anything at the plate."
Mississippi State got Bures into scoring position in the top of the first via a two-out walk and her 14th stolen base of the season and nearly plated the run with the ensuing at-bat, but Blair Geddings' pot shot to the left side was corralled by Tiger shortstop Andrea Smith to get LSU out of the inning.
The 'Dogs got into trouble in the bottom of the inning, however, as the Tigers put their first two batters aboard via a leadoff infield single and a full count walk, then moved both into position on a sac bunt by Vanessa Soto. Leslie Klein ran the count even to two balls and two strikes in the ensuing at-bat and drove in both runs on a triple to leftfield that was aided by an ill-advised dive by MSU outfielder Nakita Boyce.
State got something going again in the third, putting a pair of runners on with a bunt single by Kinney and a two-out walk delivered to Hayle Guess, but Turner got out of it again, this time inducing Bures to pop out to first base to exit the frame.
The Tigers used a one-out double off the wall by Smith, a wild pitch, a full count walk and a stolen base to get a pair of runners into position for Camille Harris in the bottom of the fifth. Harris' deep fly ball to Guess in centerfield was enough to plate pinch runner Heidi Robin from third base with the sacrifice fly, but State got out of the inning anyway when Geddings gunned out the runner from second attempting to advance to third seconds later.
The Bulldogs attempted to rally in the sixth, getting Guess aboard on a bean ball, then sending one more to the paths on a one-out bloop single by Bures to the gap in leftfield. Turner took a few deep breaths, though, slamming the door on the threat by freezing Geddings on a called third strike, then recording the final out of the frame on a lazy fly by Callye Williams to Harris in leftfield.
LSU would look for insurance runs and get them in their half of the frame when its first two batters of the bottom of the sixth reached on a single, a walk and a clutch fielding error by the Maroon and White. A wild pitch by Miller would bring the first LSU runner across home plate and a sac fly from the bat of Lauren Delahoussaye would score another, but Miller got help on a huge home run-robbing catch by Guess, as well as a routine defensive play by Michelle Kinney at third base, to stop the bleeding.
#11 LSU 5, MISSISSIPPI STATE 0
Mississippi State 000 000 0 - 0 3 1LSU 200 010 x - 5 6 0Comeaux, Miller (5) and Geddings. Turner and Roessner. W - Turner (19-3). L - Comeaux (14-7). Save - None. 3B - Klein (LSU). 2B - Smith (LSU). SF - Harris (LSU), Delahoussaye (LSU).
