The LSU softball team lost four-straight series to conclude SEC play, but it’ll head into the SEC tournament with some momentum after it secured a victory in the final series of the regular season in Game 2 against Liberty.
The Tigers jumped out to a big lead early and ultimately held on to win 9-4.
LSU was the first to strike in the bottom of the opening frame when [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag] drew a bases-loaded walk. However, that’s all the Tigers managed to reap from the opportunity.
Liberty evened things up with a solo shot in the top of the second, but a [autotag]Raeleen Gutierrez[/autotag] single in the bottom of the inning plated a pair of runs and gave LSU the lead back.
It extended that lead the following inning after an RBI single from [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag] and a wild pitch that allowed [autotag]Hannah Carson[/autotag] to score. The Flames managed to cut into that deficit a bit with another solo home run in the fourth, but it was one step forward, two steps back again.
Pleasants and [autotag]Karli Petty[/autotag] led off the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back homers, extending the lead to 7-2. The Tigers added to that lead further in the fifth with a groundout from Pleasants, which allowed them to score a run.
Liberty attempted a rally in the sixth, scoring a pair of runs on a two-RBI double, but Carson got a run back for LSU on an RBI double of her own.
[autotag]Raelin Chaffin[/autotag], who pitched the final 1.1 innings after [autotag]Kelley Lynch[/autotag] earned the win, closed things out with three straight outs in the top of the seventh.
The Tigers will go for the sweep in Game 3, which will be on Sunday at 5 p.m. CT.
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