Greetings once again from sunny Rhoads Stadium, where we again have a crowd that will surely top 3,000 for the finale, which is set for 2 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
No.. 11 Alabama is 34-7, 9-5 SEC. No. 8 LSU is 32-8, 8-3 SEC.
Alabama lineup:
rf Chandler Dare
cf Elissa Brown
3b Marisa Runyon
dp Bailey Hemphill
c Reagan Dykes
1b Peyton Grantham
lf Gabby Callaway
ss Sydney Booker
2b Claire Jenkins
RHP Alexis Osorio is 17-4, 1.13 ERA.
LSU will start RHP Allie Walljasper, who is 11-2, 1.16 ERA.
So it’s a pitching rematch of Friday night’s game. Surprised we haven’t seen Carly Hoover in the circle for LSU.
LSU, top of the first:
Landry hits a one-out triple to left and Jaquish reaches on a hit-by-pitch.
Bit of a situation for Osorio. Quinn hits a grounder to third and Landry is thrown out at the plate. Serrett strikes with with runners on first and second.
Alabama, top one:
Alabama goes down 1-2-3.
LSU 0 1 0
Alabama 0 0 0
LSU, top of the second: 1-2-3. Easy plays.
Alabama, bottom two: Dykes singles over third base, nice floater.
With two outs, she steals second.
Callaway works a 10-pitch at-bat and singles to right field, Dykes slides around the tag at home and Alabama leads 1-0.
Afer two:
LSU 0 1 0
Alabama 1 2 0
Top of the third:
Andrews reaches on a one-out infield single. Osorio walks the next two, bases loaded.
Run scores on passed ball to tie it, Quinn drops a squeeze sac bunt to put LSU up 2-1.
Strikeout strands runner on third.
Alabama, bottom three:
Brown hits a two-out single to left. Steals second.
Runyon walks.
Hemphill strikes out looking.
After three:
LSU 2 2 0
Alabama 1 3 0
Fourth: LSU gets a single, a fielder’s choice and a hit-by-pitch to put runners on first and second with two outs. Nice play by Booker at short to get out three.
For Alabama, Dykes reaches on an error. Rachel Bobo in to pinch run. Sac bunt by Cranek moves her to second. Callaway flies out to left, not deep enough to advance the runner.
Booker singles to left, RBI, and we’re tied at 2. Jenkins grounds out to third.
After four:
LSU 2 3 1
Alabama 2 4 0
Top of the fifth:
Landry hits a leadoff single. She doesn’t move another inch as the next three go down in order.
Alabama, bottom five:
Dare hits a leadoff single through the right side.
Brown slaps an infield single.
First and second for Runyon, who rips a double to the gap in left-center, two RBIs. Alabama up 4-2.
Hemphill strikes out, Dykes lines out to second, Schroder, running for Runyon, tries to take third base and is thrown out. Appeared the fielder dropped the ball, but blue didn’t see it.
After five:LSU 2 4 1
Alabama 4 7 0
Attendance: 3,940, hard sellout.
Sixth:
LSU gets a leadoff walk and with one out Alabama turns an odd 6-3-6-2 double play to get out of the inning. Booker’s throw richoceted off the LSU dugout rail and the runner had turned toward second, caught in a pickle.
Alabama goes down in order, quietly.
After six:
LSU 2 4 1
Alabama 2 7 0
Seventh:
LSU ground out to the pitcher. And to third. Landry (surprise) beats out an infield single and Booker’s late throw is high, so she advances to second on the error.
VanBrakle out for a visit.
UA intentionally walks Jaquish. LSU brings in a pinch runner.
First and second, two outs.
Quinn pops up to short, out three.
LSU 2 5 1
Alabama 4 7 1
Alabama takes series, improves to 25-7, 10-5 SEC.
UA will host UAB on Tuesday and visit Tennessee for a three-game set next weekend.
____________________________________
Greetings again from Rhoads Stadium. Series resumes with Game 2 coming up at 8 p.m. on the SEC Network.
Don’t have lineups yet. Will post as soon as I get them.
…
And now we have lineups.
No. 11/12 Alaama is 34-6, 9-4 SEC; No. 8 LSU is 31-8, 7-3 SEC
Alabama lineup:
rf Chandler Dare
cf Mari Cranek
3b Marisa Runyon
c Bailey Hemphill
1b Peyton Grantham
dp Regan Dykes
ss Sydney Booker
lf Gabby Callaway
2b Clair Jenkins
RHP Sydney Littlejohn is 14-1, 0.92 ERA. LSU will start Sydney Smith, who is 8-1, 1.53 ERA.
Had expected to see Carley Hoover, who is 9-4 ith a 0.97 ERA. But LSU’s rotation is a three-headed monster.
LSU, top of the first:
Griggs strikes out looking.
Landry singles to left field.
And Jaquish lines out to first, Grantham steps on the bag to complete the double play. And that’s that.
Alabama, bottom one:
Dare grounds out to first.
Cranek grounds out to first.
I’m sensing a pattern here.
Runyon grounds to first, but Sydney Springfield bobbles it. The second baseman scoops it up and scoops it back to Springfield just in time to get the out.
After one
LSU 0 1 0
Alabama 0 0 0
Second inning:
LSU goes down in order. Alabama gets a single from Dykes but a great play at shortstop robbed Grantham of a single before that or it might have been more consequential.
After two:
LSU 0 1 0
Alabama 0 1 0
Third inning:
LSU gets a runner in scoring position on a one-out single from Sanchez and a sac bunt. Griggs grounds into out three.
Alabama gets a one-out single from Jenkins, who works the count full and drives the ninth pitch of the at-bat up the middle, but Dare grounds into a double play.
After three:
LSU 0 2 0
Alabama 0 2 0
Fourth inning:
LSU gets something going with a leadoff single from Landry and a walk by Sahvanna Jaquish with no outs. Littlejohn buckles down for a strikeout, a groundout to the pitcher (moving the runners to second and third) and a pop-up to shallow center for out three.
Alabama gets a two-out walk from Hemphill in the bottom of the fourth.
Someone’s going to have to get a big knock or manufacture something to win this.
After four:
LSU 0 3 0
Alabama 0 2 0
Fifth inning
LSU breaks through. Andrews hits an infield single with two outs, it ticks off Littlejohn’s outstretched glove and allows her to reach. A walk puts runners on first and second and Landry hits an RBI single to right, 1-0.
A hit batter (ball appeared to graze her sleeve on replay) loads uppthe bases for Springfield, who flies out.
Alabama gets a two-out double from Callaway, but Jenkins pops up to foul territory by third base for out three.
After five:
LSU 1 5 0
Alabama 0 3 0
Sixth inning:
LSU goes down in order.
Alabama gets a leadoff walk from Dare. She moves to second on a groundout by Cranek. Runyon pops up to short (shallow left), Hemphil walks and Grantham — the hottest power bat on the team — ground out to short.
After six:
LSU 1 5 0
Alabama 0 3 0
Seventh:
Each team gets a baserunner via error. And nothing else.
LSU wins 1-0. Series finale set for 2 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2.
_______________________
- Greetings from Rhoads Stadium. I’ll be updating this in story from rather than on the message board. Spread the word.
Alabama is 33-6, 8-4 SEC, ranked No. 11/12. LSU is 31-7, 7-2 SEC and ranked No. 8.
Alabama lineup:
rf Chandler Dare
lf Mari Cranek
db Marisa Runyon
dp Bailey Hemphill
1b Peyton Grantham
ss Sydney. Booker
c Reagan Dykes
cf Merris Schroder
2b Claire Jenkins
RHP Alexis Osorio is 16-4, 1.20 ERA.
LSU will start RHP Allie Walljasper. She’s 11-1, 0.97 ERA.
A couple of runs — maybe even one — might decide it.
LSU, top of the first:
Griggs reaches on error, Landry flies out to center, Jaquish draws a walk — runners on first and second. Walljasper strikes out and Quinn grounds into a fielder’s choice at short, out three.
Alabama, bottom one:
Dare loops one over third base into fair territory and the backspin bounces it toward the fence in foul territory, so she turns it into a double.
Cranek lays down a perfect bunt, six inches in front of the plate, and it’s not going to roll foul. Single. Runyon rips a double over first base, RBI. With one out, Grantham hits a zinger into the gap in left-center, driving in two more.
Booker strikes out looking, Dykes pops up to second, out three.
After one:
LSU 0 0 0
Alabama 3 4 1
Second inning, nothing doing. LSU gets a hit-by-pitch and a walk, but strands both. Alabama gets a two-out single from Dare and strands her.
After two:
LSU 0 0 0
Alabama 3 5 1
Third inning:
LSU gets a walk, nothing doing. Alabama gets a single from Hemphill and Booker is hit y a pitch with two outs to put two on, but can’t scratch.
After three:
LSU 0 0 0
Alabama 3 6 1
Fourth:
LSU gets another walk, this one with one out. Two strikeouts later, that’s it.
Alabama goes down in order.
After four:
LSU 0 0 0
Alabama 3 6 1
Fifth:
LSU gets another walk. And that’s all. Alabama goes down in order again.
After five:
LSU 0 0 0
Alabbama 3 6 1
Sixth:
LSU’s Nicky Dawson singles through the left side with one out to break up the no-hitter. Osorio strikes out the next two.
Alabama goes down in order again, hasn’t had a baserunner since Booker got hit by a pitch in the third.
After six:
LSU 0 1 0
Alabama 3 6 1
Seventh:
LSU gets another hit and a walk. Osorio strikes out Walljasper for the fourth time for the final out.
Alexis threw a career-high 158 pitches, struck out 11.
They’ll do it again Saturday at 8 o’clock.
