Alabama and LSU played the second game of their series Saturday night, and once again pitching ruled the night. Neither team advanced a runner to second base until LSU did in the top of the third inning. In the end, it was LSU that came up with a 1-0 win in front of a season-high 3,376 fans in Rhoads Stadium.
The Tigers had opportunities in the third and fourth innings, but senior pitcher Sydney Littlejohn got out of both jams without giving up a run. LSU finally managed to break the drought in the fifth inning, when a two-out single to right field scored the only run of the game.
LSU pitcher Sydney Smith had only two strikeouts and walked three, but gave up just three hits in a complete-game shutout.
“She mixed up her speeds, [and it] seemed like she was hitting her spots because she was getting a lot of called strikes,” Murphy said.
On the offensive side for the Tigers, right fielder Bailey Landry, who came into the game batting .496 on the year, went 3-4 with the lone RBI.
“The goal was to have nobody on before her, and she’s a good hitter,” Murphy said. “She’s very confident, and it was just unfortunate that she was the one that was up.”
Alabama struggled offensively this series. In Friday’s game, it scored three runs but all three came in the first inning. The Crimson Tide has now gone 12 innings without a run, with just five hits in that time frame.
Freshman left fielder Gabby Callaway had a double, and sophomore catcher Reagan Dykes and freshman second baseman Claire Jenkins were the only other Alabama players to get hits.
“We had two singles and a double. If we have all three in an inning, it could be a different story,” Murphy said. “If you don’t string anything together, you know, we always say if the other team doesn’t score we can never lose. Well, we need to score as well to win.”
Alabama had one last chance in the sixth inning with runners on first and second with two outs, but junior first baseman Peyton Grantham grounded out to end the inning. Junior shortstop Sydney Booker got on first base in the seventh but never advanced any further.
Littlejohn went the distance, giving up just five hits and one earned run in the game. She struck out six.
Alabama and LSU will play the final game of the series Sunday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
