LSUTAF - Tiger Athletic Foundation

BATON ROUGE -- LSU (32-16-1, 12-11-1 SEC) plays its final regular-season series in venerable Alex Box Stadium this weekend as the Tigers play host to Mississippi State (20-29, 7-17 SEC). The 70-year-old stadium will be replaced in 2009 by the New Alex Box Stadium, which is currently under construction and scheduled to be completed this fall.
 
Game 1 of the series begins at 7 p.m. CT Friday, Game 2 starts at 3 p.m. CT Saturday, and first pitch for Game 3 is 1 p.m. CT Sunday.
 
The games will be carried by the affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network. The Baton Rouge affiliate is WDGL 98.1 FM.
 
Live video and audio of the games may be accessed in the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net.
 
The games on Friday and Sunday will be televised by Cox Sports Television (Cable Ch. 37 in Baton Rouge). Saturday’s game will be televised by Fox Sports Net (Cable Ch. 38 in Baton Rouge).
 
LSU has surged into the national rankings on the strength of a nine-game win streak, including back-to-back Southeastern Conference series sweeps.
 
The Tigers are ranked No. 22 by Baseball America magazine, No. 22 by USA Today/ESPN and No. 23 by Collegiate Baseball magazine.
 
LSU has recorded consecutive three-game sweeps over South Carolina and Kentucky to move into first place in the SEC Western Division. The Tigers are a half-game ahead of Ole Miss and Alabama in the division race with six conference games remaining.
 
The six straight SEC wins marks the first time LSU has recorded consecutive conference sweeps since 1998, when the Tigers swept Arkansas and Kentucky.
 
Mississippi State is in sixth place in the SEC Western Division, still mathematically alive for a berth in the eight-team SEC Tournament, which begins May 21 in Hoover, Ala.
 
“We’ve put ourselves in a position that if we get the job done, we can reach the postseason,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “Our team is growing up – recently, we’ve gotten that one big hit or one big pitch that’s allowed us to win some close ball games. Our kids are playing with a lot of confidence right now, and hopefully we can keep it going.

“There should be a myriad of emotions present this weekend as we play the final series in Alex Box Stadium. There are a lot of festivities planned, and we should have some great crowds. Hopefully, our team will play well and send the old stadium out in a good way.”
 
Mainieri said junior left-hander Ryan Verdugo (7-2, 2.86 ERA) will start Friday’s game on the mound for LSU. Junior left-hander Blake Martin (3-3, 5.05 ERA) will be the Tigers’ starter on Saturday, and Mainieri said he will decide upon Sunday’s starter as the season progresses.
 
Mississippi State coach Ron Polk, who is retiring at the end of the season, will counter this weekend with junior right-hander Chad Crosswhite (2-4, 9.33 ERA) on Friday, sophomore right-hander Ricky Bowen (3-5, 6.79 ERA) on Saturday and senior left-hander Justin Pigott (2-2, 4.42 ERA) on Sunday.
 
LSU junior rightfielder Derek Helenihi leads the Tigers with a .335 (57-for-170) batting average, and he has collected nine doubles, four triples, two homers and 30 RBI.
 
Sophomore designated hitter/outfielder Blake Dean is batting .332 (62-for-187) with 10 doubles, two triples, 10 homers and 40 RBI. During LSU’s nine-game win streak, Dean is hitting.432 (16-for-37) with five doubles, two homers and eight RBI.
 
Junior first baseman Matt Clark is batting .325 (51-for-157) on the year with nine doubles, 17 homers and 38 RBI. Clark is hitting .407 (11-for-27) in his last seven games with four doubles, four homers and nine RBI.
 
The LSU pitching staff is No. 3 in the SEC and No. 27 in the NCAA with a 3.88 cumulative ERA, and the Tigers’ ERA during the nine-game win streak is a stingy 3.32.
 
The LSU staff is No. 13 in the nation in walks allowed per nine innings (2.9).
 
Senior right-hander Jared Bradford, the Tigers’ closer, is 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA and two saves in his last four appearances. Bradford has allowed one earned run on 10 hits in his last 11 innings with three walks and 10 strikeouts.
 
Bradford was named SEC Pitcher of the Week on Monday after recording a win and two saves versus Kentucky last weekend.
 
Freshman right-hander Daniel Bradshaw is 3-0 with a 0.60 ERA in his last four appearances, including one start. Bradshaw has given up just one earned run on seven hits in his last 15 innings with no walks and 17 strikeouts.
 
Mississippi State, which advanced to the College World Series last season, is hitting .289 as a team with 47 home runs. The Bulldogs feature one of the nation’s top closers in junior right-hander Aaron Weatherford, who is 2-0 with a 0.36 ERA and six saves in 14 appearances. In 25.1 innings this season, Weatherford has allowed just one earned run on six hits with seven walks and 51 strikeouts.
 
Mississippi State leads the all-time series with LSU, 193-159-1, though the Tigers have a 14-13 lead in the 27 meetings this decade. The Tigers have won 10 of the last 16 games between the clubs, including a 2-1 series victory last season in Starkville.
 
Neither team has recorded a sweep in the series since 1992, when LSU won all three games in Alex Box Stadium over the Bulldogs.
 
Mississippi State Bulldogs (20-29, 7-17) at LSU Fighting Tigers (32-16-1, 12-11-1)
 
DATES/TIMES
Friday, May 9 – 7 p. m. CT; Saturday, May 10 – 3 p.m. CT; Sunday, May 11 – 1 p.m. CT
 
STADIUM
Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. (7,760)
 
RANKINGS
LSU is ranked No. 22 by Baseball America and USA Today/ESPN, and No. 23 by Collegiate Baseball
 
RADIO
LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates
The Baton Rouge affiliate is WDGL 98.1 FM
 
INTERNET
www.LSUsports.net – live video, audio and stats
 
TV
Friday – Cox Sports Television (Cable Ch. 37 in Baton Rouge)
Saturday – Fox Sports Net (Cable Ch. 38 in Baton Rouge)
Sunday – Cox Sports Television (Cable Ch. 37 in Baton Rouge)
 
PROMOTIONS

FRIDAY
- Mike VI Pregame Appearance
- Alex Box Stadium Countdown: Mississippi State Coach Ron Polk
- All Alex Box Team - Omaha Era outfielders announced
- Post game Fireworks
- Final Season Prize Bonanza: Enter to win great raffle prizes with the purchase of a hot dog/big gulp combo at any concession stand. Friday’s Prize: Free Cox Digital Cable for a year
 
SATURDAY
- Senior Day Pregame Ceremony
- Commemorative Alex Box Stadium Panoramic Poster Post-game Giveaway: All fans will receive a commemorative poster following the game. Distribution will take place in the parking lot behind the Intimidator billboard
- Alex Box Stadium Countdown: Paul Mainieri
- 1961 SEC Championship Team Recognition
- All Alex Box Team - Omaha Era catchers and infielders announced
- Final Season Prize Bonanza: Enter to win great raffle prizes with the purchase of a hot dog/big gulp combo at any concession stand. Saturday’s Prize: Large Cajun Microwave from Cajun Microwaves
 
SUNDAY
- Alex Box Stadium Countdown: Skip Bertman
- All Alex Box Team - Omaha Era pitchers announced
- Postgame Alex Box Stadium Tribute Ceremony
- Final Season Prize Bonanza: Enter to win great raffle prizes with the purchase of a hot dog/big gulp combo at any concession stand. Sunday’s Prize: Two round trip airline tickets valid for travel within the 48 contiguous states, Alaska, Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean from Delta Airlines
-Raising Cane’s “Cane’s Challenge”: If LSU scores 3 or more runs, bring your game ticket to a Raising Cane’s to receive a free Box Combo with the purchase of a Box Combo good thru the close of business on Monday, May 12, 2008.
(due to the Alex Box Stadium post-game tribute, there will be no running of the bases following this game)
 
SERIES RECORD
Mississippi State leads the series, 193-159-1 (the teams first met in 1905)
 
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1
LSU – Jr. LHP Ryan Verdugo (7-2, 2.86 ERA, 66.0 IP, 24 BB, 55 SO)
MSU – Jr. RHP Chad Crosswhite (2-4, 9.33 ERA, 45.1 IP, 24 BB, 26 SO)
 
Game 2
LSU – Jr. LHP Blake Martin (3-3, 5.05 ERA, 62.1 IP, 27 BB, 62 SO)
MSU – So. RHP Ricky Bowen (3-5, 6.79 ERA, 63.2 IP, 36 BB, 52 SO)
 
Game 3
LSU – TBA
MSU – Sr. LHP Justin Pigott (2-2, 4.42 ERA, 38.2 IP, 11 BB, 37 SO)

Photo Courtsey of www.LSUsports.net

BATON ROUGE -- The top four seeds - Florida, Alabama, LSU and Tennessee - opened the 2008 Southeastern Conference Softball Tournament with wins on Thursday at Tiger Park on the LSU campus. Meanwhile, Georgia, Auburn, Mississippi State and Ole Miss were sent packing.

Live video and live stats from all games are available free on LSUsports.net. There will be no audio broadcast to accompany the video.

The live video feed will start five minutes prior to the start time of each game.

Game 4: #3 LSU def. #6 Auburn, 4-0

by Melissa Foley
LSU Sports Information

BATON ROUGE -- An inside the park home run by Shannon Stein got the 15th-ranked LSU softball team on the scoreboard as the Tigers went on to shut out Auburn, 4-0, on Thursday night at Tiger Park in the first round of the 2008 Southeastern Conference Tournament.
 
LSU improved to 42-15 on the season and 1-0 in SEC Tournament play. The Fighting Tigers will advance to face second-seeded Alabama on Friday at 7:30 p.m. with a berth in the championship game on the line. The loss dropped AU to 37-20 overall and eliminated Auburn from SEC Tournament play.
 
In other tournament action on Thursday, top-seeded Florida squeaked by Ole Miss, 1-0, as did Alabama with a 1-0 win over Mississippi State. Tennessee earned a 5-2 win over Georgia. The Gators will take on the Lady Vols at 5 p.m. with the winner advancing to the championship game.
 
“When you get to postseason, it is always a battle,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “You will never see people just run away with the game. People are tired, have finals and are tight. There is a lot of pressure.”
 
Second-team All-SEC selection Cody Trahan earned the complete-game shutout to improve to 18-4 on the season. The sophomore has not lost since assuming the No. 1 at Tennessee, picking up six straight wins. Trahan scattered only two singles, while walking five and striking out eight. It marked her sixth complete game shutout of the season.
 
Stein became the first LSU player to record an inside the park home run since LaDonia Hughes against Centenary on Feb. 5, 2004. It was the third home run of the season for the senior who also extended her hitting streak to five games.
 
“It was one of those plays,” said Girouard. “The ball kept carrying and then [Auburn] didn’t make the play. We got the bounce and it turned into an inside-the-park homerun.”
 
Quinlan Duhon, also a member of the All-SEC second team, extended her hitting streak to a career-best 10 games with a 2-for-3 performance including a double and an RBI. Tayl’r Hollis was 1-for-2 with an RBI, two walks and her second triple of the season.
 
In the bottom of the third, LSU got on the board, courtesy of Stein’s home run. With one out, she hit the ball off the fence down the left field line. The ball then rolled out towards center field and away from Auburn left fielder Brittany Scott, who appeared to be slightly shaken by a hard hit into the fence. Stein motored around the bases and scored easily ahead of the throw into the plate.
 
The Fighting Tigers tacked on another run later in the inning. After Rachel Mitchell drew a walk following Stein’s home run, one of the SEC Tournament eight walks drawn by LSU in the game. Mitchell then stole second to move her into scoring position. A single to right field by Duhon pushed Mitchell across the plate for the 2-0 advantage.
 
“The lead sure made me feel better, so I’m sure it made the team feel better too,” said Girouard. “It seemed like things loosened up after that.”
 
In the bottom of the fourth, LSU put the game away with two more runs. Erika Sluss led off the inning with a walk. She came around to score on a triple to right center field by Hollis. A wild pitch then scored Hollis for the 4-0 lead.
 
Auburn threatened in a couple of innings, but only managed to put one player as far as third base. In the top of the second, Trahan gave up a single and a walk with one out. A passed ball by Killian Roessner allowed the runners to move to second and third. A great play on a hard hit ball to third base by Jessica Mouse held the runners and got the out at first before Trahan struck out Starr Dorsey looking to end the inning.
 
AU had only more two runners in scoring position the rest of the game, but could not get the runner past second. Trahan retired the final four batters of the game to complete the shutout.
 
Anna Thompson started and took the loss to fall to 12-11 on the season. She allowed four runs on three hits with four walks and three strikeouts in three innings. Brittany Day came on in the fourth and gave up only one hit with four walks and a strikeout in the final three innings.
 
LSU has now won 10 of its 12 SEC Tournament opening round games. The only losses for the Tigers came in 1997 and 2005. When LSU has won the opening game of the tournament, the Tigers have then gone on to advance to the championship game in eight of those nine previous appearances.
 
On Friday, LSU will attempting to accomplish a first for the league tournament. Since the conference went to home sites in 2004, no host team has ever advanced to the championship game. At Alabama, LSU defeated Georgia in the championship game. The following year in Florida, Alabama defeated Georgia in the finals. The Tigers fell to Tennessee at Georgia in 2006 before LSU knocked off Florida in Auburn last season.
 
Auburn 000 000 0 - 0 2 0
LSU 002 200 x - 4 4 0
Anna Thompson, Brittany Day (4) and Tatiana Fernandez. Cody Trahan and Killian Roessner. WP – Trahan (18-4). LP – Thompson (12-11). S – None. HR – Shannon Stein. T – 2:06. A – 1224.
 
LSU Team Notes:
- LSU walked eight times to break the SEC Tournament single game team record. The previous record was seven recorded three times, with the last being by LSU against Georgia in 2006.
- Shannon Stein’s inside the park home runs was LSU’s first inside the park homer since LaDonia Hughes hit one against Centenary on Feb. 5, 2004
- LSU has now won its SEC Tournament opening game for the 10th time in 12 SEC Tournament appearances with the only losses coming in 1997 and 2005

Game #4 Quotes
No. 3 LSU def. No. 6 Auburn, 4-0

LSU Head Coach Yvette Girouard

On how games in postseason can become a close battle...
“When you get to postseason, it is always a battle. You will never see people just run away with the game. People are tired, have finals and are tight. There is a lot of pressure.”

On Shannon Stein’s in-park home run...
“It was one of those plays. The ball kept carrying and then [Auburn] didn’t make the play. We got the bounce and it turned into an inside-the-park homerun.”

On LSU getting a lead...
“The lead sure made me feel better, so I’m sure it made the team feel better too. It seemed like things loosened up after that.”

Auburn Head Coach Tina Deese

On the loss...
“It’s tough. I felt if we could have done anything better, it would have been to pitch Mitchell more carefully. You have to pitch Mitchell carefully. She’ll hurt you. One of things we said we had to do was take care of the bottom. We came up a little short there, but I was proud of the way they played. We left it on the field. They were up from the first out to the last out. We never died. Brittany Day came in and did very well. I thought Anna (Thompson) threw a decent game coming in for the first time in a couple of weeks. I felt, all in all, it was nothing to hang our heads about. I was proud of what they did. We just came up a little too short today.” 

On waiting to hear their postseason fate...
“Let’s hope we look favorably. We are going to go out there and practice like we are hosting the darn thing and continue to work hard. We still have a couple of days until the selection show, so we’re going to work until that time.”

Game 3: #2 Alabama def. #7 Mississippi State, 1-0

by Josh Maxon
University of Alabama

BATON ROUGE - The Alabama softball team got it done when it counted on Thursday evening as the third-ranked Crimson Tide got a walk-off single from Brittany Rogers in the seventh inning to beat Mississippi State 1-0 in the opening round of the SEC Tournament at Tiger Park.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game," Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy said. "Their (MSU) defense was just awesome. It came down catching a break (on the error) on our part. Usually with a well pitched game that is how it falls. Then we got those two hits in the seventh to win it."

Bulldogs' hurler Misty Flesher held the high-powered Alabama offense without a hit through the first six innings. But Dani Woods broke up the no-hitter to lead off the seventh inning with a sharp single up the middle.

After a failed bunt attempt, Lauren Parker made her first appearance at the plate since April 12 at Auburn. Parker put the ball in play back to the pitcher, who threw wide of first base to put runners on first and third base with one out.

MSU intentionally walked Whitney Larsen to load the bases for Rogers, who had been called out at first base on two extremely close plays earlier in the game. Rogers left no doubt this time as she laced a 2-1 pitch from Flesher back up the middle for the game winner.

Kelsi Dunne earned the complete-game shutout win in the circle for the Tide to improve to 22-3 on the season. The SEC Freshman of the Year struck out nine while allowing just four hits.

Flesher took the loss to fall to 19-9 on the year. She went 6.1 innings, allowing one run on two hits with four walks and a strikeout.

State's best scoring chance came in the top of the fifth inning when Nakita Boyce lined a leadoff triple into the right-center field gap. Dunne worked around the triple by getting a strikeout, a pop up and a line drive right to Woods in left field to keep MSU off the board.

Mississippi State's Chelsea Bramlett stole base her 44th of the season and moved within two of her single-season school record set last season.

The win improved Alabama's record to 50-5 on the year while Mississippi State falls to 40-20.

The Crimson Tide will play the winner of tonight's LSU-Auburn game at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Game #3 Quotes
No. 2 Alabama def. No. 7 Mississippi State, 1-0

Alabama Outfielder Brittany Rogers

On her thoughts going to the plate with bases loaded...
“I knew my teammates were behind me. Just knowing my team was behind me was all that I needed.”

On getting the hit that won the game...
“Thank you, Jesus! Honestly, that was really what was going through my head.”

Alabama Head Coach Patrick Murphy

On getting the win in the first round of the SEC Tournament...
“We knew it was going to be a tough game. [Mississippi State’s] defense was awesome. It came down to catching a break on our part. Usually, with a well-pitched game on both sides that is how it falls and we got the hit.”

On freshman pitcher Kelsi Dunne...
“I thought [Dunne] did really well. She made adjustments as the game went along. For a freshman to get out of the inning that lead off with triple, that’s a lot of pressure, especially when we don’t have any hits. That is when she came through and got two really good hitters out.”

On Brittany Rogers’ big hit...
“Usually she is [slap-hitter], so she knows whether to hit it hard or soft. In that situation, she hit it hard and it was a clean hit to the middle. I trust her 100 percent in that situation.”

Mississippi State Head Coach Jay Miller

On his team’s performance against Alabama...
“It is a tough loss. We certainly played well enough to win. Obviously, Misty Fletcher pitched a great ballgame. You hate to waste a pitching performance like that. We just didn’t do a very good job of adjusting at the plate, but you have to give credit to (Alabama pitcher) Kelsi Dunne. She made the pitches when she had to. We had some great opportunities with runners in scoring position that we left out there. When you have a leadoff triple with the top of the order coming up, you have got to score in that situation. When we didn’t, that sort of took a little bit of the wind out of us. Misty came right back and did the job and gave us an opportunity. That’s all you ask for is opportunities to win, and we just didn’t take advantage of them today.”

On the pitching performance by Misty Fletcher...
“She really had Alabama off-balance. It’s a shame that we didn’t give her any support out there, but that’s the way the game goes sometimes. You have to credit Alabama. That’s why they are where they are. They didn’t get any hits until the seventh inning, and all of a sudden they get one or two and make them count. They get the one to lead off to get the winning runner on, and then they get the other to drive her in. That’s the difference. We had those same opportunities and didn’t take advantage of them. We didn’t get the same kind of production.”

Game 2: #1 Florida def. #8 Ole Miss, 1-0

by Heidi Johnson
University of Florida

BATON ROUGE -- One swing of the bat from sophomore Francesca Enea (Woodland Hills, Calif.) in the sixth inning would be all it would take for the No. 1 Florida Softball team (60-2) to advance to the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals, as the Gators defeated Ole Miss (26-28), 1-0.

The two teams were tied 0-0 with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Enea took a 1-1 count out of the park just grazing the fence in center field for the 1-0 Gator lead. The home run was Enea’s 14th of the season.

The Florida defense took care of business in the top of the seventh. Amber Tramp was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Junior reliever Stacey Nelson (Los Alamitos, Calif.) struck out the following batter and forced Michelle May to line into an unassisted double play to junior Ali Gardiner (Waccabuc, N.Y.) to end the game.

Freshman Stephanie Brombacher (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) pitched six innings, giving up only two hits and allowing only three runners on base to improve to 19-0 on the season. She struck out three Rebel batters. Nelson pitched the final inning to earn her fifth save of the year. Becky Nye took the loss for Ole Miss to end her season with a 12-11 record.

Florida got the first hits of the game as Gardiner and Enea both lifted two-out hits in the bottom of the first. Gardiner dropped a base hit in right field, right next to the right foul line. Enea fouled off five pitches on a 1-2 count before ripping a base hit up the middle. Alise Doubt made a great diving catch for Ole Miss in left field to put out Bush and end the inning.

The Gators added a third two-out hit in the bottom of the second as junior Kristina Hilberth (Dunedin, Fla.) slapped a base hit through the left side.

Ole Miss got its first runner on base in the top of the third as Brombacher walked Lauren Rowe to lead off the inning. Rowe stole second, but did not get any further as the Gator defense retired the next three batters.

Florida added a hit in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, freshman Megan Bush (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) knocked a base hit through the left side, giving the Gators their best chance of the day to plate a run. Junior Danyell Hines (Bryan, Texas) came in to pinch run for her, but was caught stealing for the second out of the inning.

The Rebels broke up Brombacher’s no hitter with one out in the top of the fifth as May hit a deep infield single and just beat out Bush’s throw to first.

Hilberth earned her second hit of the day as she dropped a bunt right in front of the pitcher’s circle and beat out the throw to first with one out. She wouldn’t get any further though as the next two batters were put out on a strikeout and a ground out to end the inning.

Doubt hit the first pitch offered her by Brombacher to left field for the Rebels second hit of the game. The Gators retired Doubt advancing to third on a fielder’s choice play for Lauren Grill’s at bat. Grill moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Alyssa McGovern for the second out of the inning. The threat was ended as Lisa Conchos popped up to Hilberth in foul territory.

Florida advances to the semifinals to face fourth-seeded Tennessee (47-13), who defeated fifth-seeded Georgia (43-22), 5-2 in the first game of the tournament. Friday night’s first pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET.

The game will air live on WRUF AM 850 in Gainesville and on the web at www.WRUF.com and www.GatorZone.com. Live video and live stats are available on LSU’s website at www.LSUSports.net.

Game #2 Quotes
No. 1 Florida def. No. 8 Ole Miss, 1-0

Florida Pitcher Stephanie Brombacher
On what she thought of her performance in the win...
“I feel like I threw well. I could have pitched a little bit better, but I felt good for my first postseason.”

On earning her first career victory at the SEC Tournament...
“It was awesome. I knew that I had the girls behind me and the whole team behind me. I felt confident out there because I knew we were going to score runs and we were going to get it done.”

Florida Head Coach Tim Walton

On his team winning its first-round game...
“It was good to get a win. When you come in with the expectations of being the No. 1 seed you have a letdown, not intentionally, but it just happens. We’re very happy with the way we played today. I thought we played well on defense, and getting a freshman (Stephanie Brombacher) in there and getting her feet wet in the fashion that we were able to do it in an SEC Tournament game was just huge for our program and building this program.”

On the performance of freshman pitcher Stephanie Brombacher...
“I thought she pitched well. She had strike one on a lot of batters. She kept one of the best hitters in the conference off-balanced and did a great job of making quality pitches when she needed to. She didn’t have a whole lot of runners on base, so it made it a little bit easier for her to settle in and throw strikes.”

On the performance of Florida’s offense during the game...
“I thought we were OK. I give credit to Becky Nye, who threw a great game and mixed us up with the changeup and threw her curve ball to both sides of the plate. She did a great job. Ultimately, we’ve got to hit the ball a little bit harder than we did today. My expectations are a lot higher than that to hit the ball harder. But I give credit to Ole Miss and I give credit to Becky Nye. She did a great job.”

Ole Miss Pitcher Becky Nye

On the game...
“We gave it all we had and came up a little short. We played as a team and that’s all that matters. We went toe-to-toe with the best team in the national and I think we did pretty well.”

Ole Miss Head Coach Missy Dickerson

On the outcome of the game...
“I thought it was a hard fought battle on both sides. The girls played well, that’s how they’ve been playing all season. You make a mistake or the ball goes somewhere its not suppose to and that’s the ball game for you. I have to give Florida credit, they are a very talented team and you have to be on your toes when you step out on the field against them.”   

Game 1: #4 Tennessee def. #5 Georgia, 5-2

by Brian Davis
University of Tennessee

BATON ROUGE, La. – Lady Vol senior pitcher Megan Rhodes fired a complete game from the circle and sophomore Erinn Webb knocked in three runs as No. 14 Tennessee (47-13) downed No. 25 Georgia (43-22), 5-2, in opening round action on Thursday, May 8th, at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge, La.  With the triumph, UT swept all four games from the Bulldogs during the 2008 season. 

Webb was responsible for a two-run double in the third inning and a RBI single in the fifth, upping her RBI count on the season to 37.  Sophomore catcher Tiffany Huff was 1-for-1 with a run scored, two walks and an RBI.  Senior third baseman Tonya Callahan delivered a single in her lone official at-bat while drawing free passes number 53 and 54 of the campaign, including No. 19 intentionally.  In the contest, the Big Orange managed to draw eight walks off Georgia starting pitcher Christie Hamilton (6 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 8 BB, 4 K’s).

Rhodes allowed just two earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts in a complete-game effort, improving to 20-8 on the season.  In four games this year against the Bulldogs, the Nashville, Tenn., native was 4-0 overall with a 1.75 ERA and 11 K’s over 20.0 innings of work. 

“Megan did a great job of shutting down the top of Georgia’s order and not giving up hits with runners in scoring position,” Lady Vol co-head coach Karen Weekly said.  “The homer is the only run I’d credit to Megan, since we should have made a play on the other score.  She made the tough pitches when she needed to, and is a perfect example of a senior stepping up when needed in the postseason.  We also needed Erinn Webb today.  She was our offensive heroine of the game.  I’d still like to see more damage done with the bases loaded, but it’s the postseason, so you survive and advance.  Georgia is a tough team to play.  They are always coming after you from the first pitch until the last.”

Right from the start opening the first inning, Rhodes fell behind lead-off hitter Sojourner Moody 3-0 before rebounding to register a strikeout.  UGA center fielder Taylor Schlopy drew a four-pitch free pass, and left fielder Megan Wiggins also was retired on a K for the second out.  Third baseman Alisa Goler lifted a blooper to left field that junior Lillian Hammond didn’t appear to get a good jump on as the sphere dropped in front of her for a double, plating Schlopy all the way from first for a quick 1-0 Bulldog lead.  Catcher Melissa Wood popped up to Callahan in foul ground outside of third to end the inning, but not before Georgia had taken an early advantage.  UT was just 11-6 entering today’s contest when allowing its opponent to score first.

The bottom of the first opened in promising fashion for the Lady Vols as senior shortstop Kenora Posey drew a lead-off walk against UGA starter Christie Hamilton and immediately swiped second for her team-best 41st steal of the season.  Hammond bounced back to the circle, advancing the runner up to third with just one down.  Georgia head coach Lu Harris-Champer made the decision to intentionally walk SEC Player of the Year Tonya Callahan, her 19th intentional free pass of the campaign to move her into fifth alone on the single-season NCAA Division I list in that category.  Surprisingly, Callahan took off for second as part of a double steal, sliding in just ahead of a tag as Posey raced home from third to dead-lock the contest.  On shortstop Kristin Schnake’s errant throw to the plate, Callahan advanced up 60 feet.  Following a groundout from senior designated player Shannon Doepking, sophomore catcher Tiffany Huff ripped a shot to center that turned an eventually leaping Schlopy completely around in a circle before the ball tipped off her glove for a run scoring double as UT nabbed a 2-1 lead.  Freshman first baseman Jen Lapicki walked to place a pair aboard for Erinn Webb, but the freshman center fielder flied out to left completing the frame.

After a double play concluded the Georgia second, Lady Vol sophomore second baseman Nicole Kajitani ripped a 2-2 pitch through the left side christening the bottom half of the inning.  A sharp one-out slap to right off the bat of Posey looked promising, but UGA’s Victoria Sanders managed to drift over and corral the ball.  Hammond bounced down to third for the final out as Kajitani remained stranded at first.

Callahan opened the bottom of the third by beating out an infield hit that traveled deep into the hole at short.  Doepking’s perfect sacrifice bunt advanced the runner into scoring position with just one retired.  A walk issued to Huff placed two Lady Vols aboard the base paths, and with two down, Webb launched a double into the right center field gap that rolled all the way to the wall, scoring both runners for a 4-1 Tennessee advantage. 

A string of six consecutive batters retired by Rhodes ended in the top of the fifth as Schnake sharply lined a one-out homer off a metal sign just beyond the left field wall, cutting the Georgia deficit to 4-2.  Newly inserted left fielder Danielle Pieroni handled a pair of mid-range fly outs to left to back her hurler as the Big Orange maintained its lead.

Hamilton issued consecutive walks to Callahan, Doepking and Huff, loading the bases for UT beginning the bottom of the fifth.  A fielder’s choice to short off the bat of Lapicki cut down the lead runner at the plate recording the first out of the frame.  Webb delivered a single through the right side to post her third RBI of the afternoon, as senior pinch runner Caitlin Ryan crossed for a 5-2 advantage.  The aftermath of Webb’s base knock turned bizarre, however, as Huff was thrown out at home plate on a strong throw in from right field by Sanders and Lapicki was cut down at third by a toss from Wood behind the plate completing an unfortunate double play for the Orange & White.

With one final opportunity to claw back into the contest in the top of the seventh, UGA’s Jennie Auger and Schnake each were retired via infield pop-up.  With two down Sanders lined a shot to center for a single to grant the Bulldogs some brief life.  Moody got in front of Rhodes in the count 3-0, before the UT hurler battled back to induce a 3-2 ground ball to short completing the UT triumph.             

No. 14 Tennessee will battle the winner of Thursday’s contest between top-seeded and No.1-ranked Florida and eighth-seeded Ole Miss on Friday, May 9, at 6 p.m. ET in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament in Baton Rouge, La.  Live stats and video will be available through utladyvols.com.

SEC Softball Tournament
Game 1: 4 Tennessee v. 5 Georgia
Tennessee Postgame Quotes
 
P Megan Rhodes
 
On the game...
“It feels great to start the postseason with a win, especially in a tournament like this. The SEC is one of the premier conferences so any team you beat here is a good one.”
 
On posting a 4-0 record against Georgia this season...
“I guess it worked out pretty well for me this year. This time of year it’s all about who can make the least amount of mistakes – whoever is more focused and comes to play.”
 
Co-Head Coach Karen Weekly
 
On her team’s offense during the game... 
“When we needed OF Erin Webb, she came through in a big way. She was definitely our offensive player of the game. I also feel like we need to do some more damage with the bases loaded. But in the postseason, it’s all about getting wins.”
 
On playing Georgia...
“It’s always tough playing Georgia because they keep coming at you. No lead is safe when you’re playing them. They play with a lot of energy and enthusiasm and they never quit.”
 
On pinch-running for IF Tonya Callahan early in the game... 
“You have to do that against Georgia. They’re energy and enthusiasm allow them to stay in every game they play and they can really take over with that emotional momentum. You have to score as much early as you can to try and get those runs and keep them quiet.”

Georgia Head Coach Lu Harris-Champer

Opening Statement...
“(Christie) Hamilton was a warrior out there again. She went out there and pitched great, and I thought we had some great defense behind her. I thought (Alisa) Goler had a great day at the plate. She was really seeing the ball well and (Kristin) Schnake as well. Schnake took advantage of some good pitches and got a hold of one. I thought the team played with a lot of heart, and the seniors came out and really led us today.”

On Tennessee’s lineup...
“That’s the great thing about being in the SEC. No matter who you play, you’re going to face a quality lineup. That’s what you want, so you’ll be ready for postseason. That’s why you play in the SEC.”

LSU's Rachel Mitchell and Shannon Stein (Photo Courtsey of www.LSUsports.net)