Double play foils LSU’s comeback bid

NO. 10 ARKANSAS 8, NO. 22 LSU 7

FAYETTEVILLE — Third baseman Hannah Gammill came up with a huge double play, while the No. 10 Razorbacks took advantage of some shoddy LSU defense to claim a hard-fought 8-7 win over the No. 22 Tigers in the SEC softball series opener Saturday evening.

Arkansas scored two runs on an LSU throwing error in the fourth to snap a 5-5 tie and added another run in the fifth on another Tiger miscue for an 8-5 advantage, but held on late for the win in front of 3,148 fans.

“I felt like our team was really composed through all of it,” Arkansas Coach Courtney Deifel said. “I know I felt it. We just had a really strong belief we were going to win the game.”

Taylor Pleasants hit a tworun home run in the top of the sixth to pull LSU (21-11, 2-2) within 8-7 and the Tigers put the tying run on base with one out. But Ali Newland hit a hard ground ball that Gammill made a diving stop on, got up, stepped on third and threw across to get Newland for an inning-ending double play.

But it wasn’t quite done yet. The Razorbacks (21-5, 3-1) had to stay on the field and endure a video review, which upheld the call on the field.

Deifel said first baseman Danielle Gibson told her Newland was out on the play, which was reassuring but still not easy.

“We felt good about that,” Deifel said. “But it was just kinda like this ‘OK, you’re off, you’re celebrating then you’re back on the field.’ We were glad we got that call.”

Reliever Chenise Delce, who got the double-play ball to end the sixth, pitched a 1-23 seventh to seal the deal and pick up the save.

The Razorbacks got plenty of offense, banging out 12 hits. Hannah McEwen went 3-for-4, scored two runs and drove in two, while Gammill, KB Sides and Linnie Malkin added two hits each. Malkin also drove in two runs.

Pleasants and Shelbi Sunseri, who was also the losing pitcher, led LSU with three hits each.

Gammill doubled down left-field line and scored on Malkin’s single to the right-center field gap to tie the game at 5 in the bottom of the third.

McEwen’s two-run single gave Arkansas a 4-2 lead after two innings. But the Tigers charged back with back-toback home runs from Clark and Sunseri for a 4-4 tie to chase Razorbacks starter Mary Haff. LSU then grabbed the 5-4 lead on a bases-loaded walk by Danieca Coffey.

Arkansas erased an early 1-0 deficit with two in the bottom of the first. Sides tied the game with her fifth home run of the season. Malkin’s two-out, RBI-single past the shortstop gave the Razorbacks a 2-1 lead.

Freshman Kacie Hoffman followed with another single up the middle, but LSU center field Ciara Briggs threw out Hannah McEwen at the plate to end the inning.

LSU bounced back with a run in the top of the second. Lead-off hitter Coffey’s two-out, RBI-single tied the game 2-2. Briggs followed with an infield single, but Gibson alertly threw home to cut down the LSU runner trying to score to end the inning.

The second game of the series is slated for a noon start today in Bogle Park, while the finale will be at 6 p.m. Monday.