It was a fierce weekend of Tigers vs. Tigers as No. 14 Louisiana State University swept Auburn's Softball team in Baton Rouge. In Saturday's doubleheader, LSU pounced on top in the beginning of the first match and pitched a complete game, taking advantage of Auburn's errors and achieving three consecutive walks, the last forcing a run home in the sixth inning. Senior pitcher Anna Thompson, named SEC Softball Pitcher of the Week for the second week, gave up four runs. A bases-loaded double produced two more runs for LSU, leaving the game with a final score of 7-0.
"The first game we were kind of out of our element," said sophomore outfielder Krista Clyde. Auburn was behind 4-0 going into the seventh inning in the second game until Clyde singled and then proceeded to steal second base. Kept on base through two outs, Clyde went on to score a run after redshirt senior outfielder Lindsey Harrelson singled to left, bringing the score to 4-1. With the bases loaded, sophomore infielder Amber Harrison pushed two runs across, reaching on an error, ending the game 4-3 in favor of LSU. "Our attitude was up, we never gave up," Clyde said. "If you came to a game you'd never expect who was winning or losing because of our intensity."
LSU completed the series sweep Sunday, although the game was tight until the sixth inning. Auburn left eight runners on base and missed scoring opportunities. "We kept putting the ball in place and kept trying to manufacture runs, but it just wasn't working out for us," said sophomore catcher Elizabeth Eisterhold. "LSU capitalized on our mistakes." Auburn won 1-0 over Florida State two days before, despite accumulating nearly 20 strikeouts. "We've put LSU behind us," Eisterhold said. Auburn next meets with the University of South Carolina in Columbia and plans to go in focused and with the right mindset. "I think we'll go in very aggressive, after these three losses we have a lot of revenge and anger," Clyde said. With a 15-12 record, Auburn has the chance and spirit to come back and round out the season on a good note. Head coach Tina Deese said she is focused on keeping the team healthy and looking forward to the return several significant starters who have been out. "I think we'll be working on just about everything this week," Deese said.
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