LSU Holds Off Mississippi State In Series Opener, 4-3
Valiant Rally In Seventh Falls Short For Bulldogs
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Visiting LSU (24-9, 5-4 SEC) took its first lead of the game in the top of the fifth, then held off a seventh-inning rally by Mississippi State (23-13, 3-7) to defeat the Bulldogs, 4-3, in the opener of a three-game series between the two clubs Wednesday evening at the Mississippi State Softball Field.
Brooke Best highlighted a 2-for-3 tally at the plate with her fourth homer of the campaign, while Jennifer Nelson scored twice on a 2-for-3 showing. All-American Iyhia McMichael stretched her career-long hitting streak to 16 games, driving in a run on a 1-for-3 night. Sara Fitzgerald collected a double on a 3-for-4 performance for LSU.
Mississippi State starter Jennifer Nelson (4-4) struck out five over seven strong innings of work, but was saddled with the loss after allowing four earned runs on eight hits and a pair of walks. LSU's Kristin Schmidt (13-8) got the win for the visiting Tigers despite allowing a trio of earned runs on seven hits and six walks.
Mississippi State stormed out of the gates immediately, getting a leadoff single from Nelson and a two-run homer by Best to take a 2-0 lead into the second. Tessa Lynam chipped away at the MSU lead with a leadoff solo homer in the fourth before the Tigers took their first lead of the ballgame in the fifth on Fitzgerald's RBI single and Leigh Ann Danos' RBI groundout. The Tigers added an insurance run in the sixth on Blair Smith's RBI single to the left side.
Nelson drew a walk to leadoff the seventh and was joined on the paths a short time later on Best's bloop single to rightfield. Schmidt gave up a RBI single to McMichael that cut LSU's lead to 4-3, then issued a free pass to Jennifer Waterman that gave State a bases loaded situation with just one out. Schmidt settled down, however, getting Kate Jaspers on a line out to first with the next at-bat and Brown on a swinging strikeout that ended the game minutes later.
#11/12 LSU 4, MISSISSIPPI STATE 3
LSU 000 121 0 -- 4 8 0 Mississippi State 200 000 1 -- 3 7 0
Schmidt and Danos, Reeves (6); J. Nelson and Waterman. W - Schmidt (13-8). L - J. Nelson (4-4). Save - None. 2B - LSU, Fitzgerald. MSU, Jaspers. HR - LSU, Lynam. MSU, Best. Time - 2:18.