LSU spotted Prairie View an early lead but took care of business afterward with a flood of runs and hits in a 12-2 victory in the Baton Rouge regional Friday at Tiger Park.
Maci Bergeron and Ali Newland hit home runs, and Taylor Pleasants had three hits and three RBIs as the Tigers (41-15) advanced to the winners’ bracket where they will play UL at noon Saturday. UL defeated Omaha, 5-0, in Friday’s first game. The LSU-UL winner advances to Sunday’s championship round beginning at 1 p.m.
Raelin Chaffin (6-1) got the start and victory for LSU with five innings, allowing two runs and two hits with eight strikeouts and six walks. The game was shortened to five innings by the mercy rule.
Prairie View starter Jerrica Rojas (11-3) took the loss for the Panthers (30-19), who will play Omaha in an elimination game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
The Tigers trailed until they came to bat for the first time. Panthers’ 3-hole hitter Biviana Figueroa hit the second pitch she saw for a home run over the right-field fence, her fourth of the season, off Chaffin.
It was all LSU after that as the Tigers pounded out 15 hits. Daneica Coffey, Ciara Briggs and Pleasants singled to load the bases in the bottom of the inning. Georgia Clark and McKenzie Redoutey followed with sacrifice flies. Another run scored on an error.
Bergeron led off the second with her first career home run after 81 at-bats, and Pleasants added a two-run single in the four-run inning. Pleasants hit a run-scoring double and Newland a two-run homer, her sixth, off the scoreboard in right field.
Rayna Lewis had a run-scoring double in the fourth inning for the Panthers’ other run.
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