USA Softball Splits A Pair Of Games On Saturday
The Jaguar softball team went to Baton Rouge after their trip to Athens, Georgia was cancelled due to wintry weather. So instead they picked up two games against Northwestern and #21 LSU instead.
In the first game on Saturday, the Lady Jaguars fell 2-1 against Northwestern. But in the second game of the day, they would recover and defeat the Tigers by the same score, 2-1.
The Jags (6-1) will travel to UAB for a Wednesday game against the Blazers before they head to Orlando, Florida for the Diamond 9 Classic where they will face Indiana, Purdue University Fort Wayne, East Carolina, Lehigh, Mercer and Georgia.
USA’s Farish Beard took her first loss since April 18, 2012 against the Wildcats after giving up both runs (unearned) in the first inning. She hit the leadoff batter and she would eventually score on a Jaguar error. Mari Majam reached on the error and scored two batters later.
USA second baseman Julie Moss hit a sac fly to scored Amanda Minahan to cut the led to 2-1, but the Jags could not make any further inroads into the score.
Minahan, Chloe Rathburn and Alex Breeden all went 1-for-3 and represented the Jags only offensive production of the game. Beard struck out seven in five innings of work with only one walk.
In the second game the Jags wasted no time and loaded the bases in the top of the first inning.
Stephanie Pilkington drew a leadoff walk, then Blair Johnson reached on a fielding error by the LSU shortstop. Kaitlyn Griffith then singled to right center to load the bases for Rathburn, who hit into a fielder’s choice that allowed Pilkington to score from third for an early 1-0 lead for USA.
In the bottom of the first, the Tigers evened the score with an RBI double to left center.
In the bottom of the fourth, LSU threatened with two runners on base with only one out, but Johnson executed a double play to get Hannah Campbell out of a pickle where she had hit a batter and allowed a single up the middle.
In the top of the fifth, Pilkington added to her team leading RBI total by driving in Emily Messer, who pinch ran for Taylor Rodgers after a walk.