No. 8 Georgia softball falls to LSU, 5-1
The 12th-ranked LSU Tigers posted a 5-1 victory over the eighth-ranked Georgia softball team in the opening contest of a three-game, Southeastern Conference series Thursday night at Tiger Park in front of a crowd of 1,416.
LSU improved to 40-10 overall and 18-5 in SEC action with the win. Georgia fell to 40-9 overall and 17-7 in league play with the loss, which snapped a 15-game winning streak for the Bulldogs. The two teams will complete the series with a double header on Friday at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET.
On Thursday, Cody Trahan (11-3) worked a complete game for the Tigers allowing just one run on five hits and one walk while striking out three for the win. For Georgia, sophomore Erin Arevalo (18-6) suffered the loss after working into the third and allowing five runs on five hits. Freshman Alison Owen relieved Arevalo in the third and worked the final four innings striking out four.
LSU scored its five runs through the first three innings. In the first, leadoff batter Kristen Shortridge singled to center, stole second, took third on a fly out and scored the first run of the game on a single to left from Ashley Langnoi. The Tigers then proceeded to load the bases. The Tigers proceeded to load the bases on a hit batter and a walk, and a second walk in the in the frame issued to Morgan Russell pushed across the second run. In the second inning, Rachel Mitchell provided the Tigers with a two-run, opposite field home run to left center to extend the lead to 4-0. It was the seventh home run of the season for Mitchell and the 33rd of her career making her the all-time home run leader in LSU history. In the third, Courtney Hollier added an RBI single to left to score Juliana Santos, who led off with a single, stole second and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Russell.
Georgia produced its lone run in the fifth. Junior Taylor Schlopy singled on a solidly hit ball that took a hard hop off of a backhanded attempt from Santos at second, and on the play, junior Jennie Auger came around to score from second. Auger singled to left to start the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from junior Laura Trout.
Also of note for the Bulldogs, juniors Megan Wiggins singled in the first to extend her current hitting streak to 10 games, and she has now reached base safely in 20-straight contests. The 10-game hitting streak also matches a career-best for Wiggins, who previously posted a 10-game hitting streak as a freshman in 2008.
