University of Georgia
#21 LSU
No. 9 UGA Defeats No. 21 LSU In SEC Tournament
May 12, 2011 | Softball
May 12, 2011
OXFORD, Miss. - The ninth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs defeated the 21st-ranked LSU Tigers, 9-0, in five innings in an opening round game of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Thursday at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.
Fifth-seeded Georgia (46-11) scored its nine runs on nine hits highlighted by a seven-run fourth inning en route to run-rule victory over fourth-seeded LSU (38-16). The victory snaps a five-game SEC Tournament losing streak for the Bulldogs, who last won a conference tournament game in Athens in 2006 defeating Arkansas, 2-0.
The Bulldogs now advance to the semifinal round of the SEC Tournament and will face the winner of game four between top-seeded Alabama and eighth-seeded Mississippi State. UGA and the winner of game four will meet on Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Georgia earned the win behind freshman starter Morgan Montemayor, who tossed her 10th complete game and sixth shutout of the year limiting the Tigers to just two hits and no walks. Montemayor also struck out four batters as she improved to 22-3 with the win while LSU starter Brittany Mack took the loss to fall to 18-6.
The Bulldogs jumped on the scoreboard early with two runs in the first. Senior Megan Wiggins led off with a single to left and moved up to second when senior Taylor Schlopy drew a four-pitch walk. Senior Alisa Goler then drove in the game's first run on a single through the left side. Two batters later, junior Ashley Razey added an RBI groundout.
It remained a 2-0 game until Georgia broke the game wide open with the seven-run fourth inning. The frame started with the Bulldogs loading the bases on singles from juniors Kristyn Sandberg and Brittney Hubbard and a walk to senior Laura Trout. Next, junior Ashley Pauly hit a two-run single up the middle that ended the game for Mack. The Tigers then turned to Rachele Fico in relief, and Wiggins greeted Fico by taking her first pitch down the right field line for a two-run triple. Schlopy then added an RBI single down the left field line and came around to score a run of her own when Goler reached on a throwing error by the LSU shortstop. The seventh run of the inning scored on a groundout from Razey.
Also of note for UGA on Thursday, Goler drew a walk in the third inning, the 178th of her career, to set a new SEC career walks record.
