No. 10 LSU wins series finale in six innings over No. 8 Florida
BATON ROUGE, La. (LSU Athletics) – An eight-run sixth inning propelled No. 10 LSU to win the series after a six-inning run rule over No. 8/6 Florida, 10-2, on Monday night at Tiger Park.
After fending off a Gator rally in the top of the sixth inning, LSU struck gold in the bottom frame with the opening three batters getting on base before infielder Avery Hodge brought the first runner home off a sacrifice fly, followed by a pinch hitter Savannah Bedell’s run-scoring single and infielder Danieca Coffey’s two-RBI double to balloon LSU’s advantage to 6-2. The Tigers added two more runs off outfielder Jaila Lassiter’s bunt and an error, with the final two runs coming through free passes to end the game.
LSU improves to 39-11 and 11-10 in the SEC, while Florida falls to 41-12 and 12-9 in league play. The Tigers take down the Gators in a three-game series for the first time since 2019.
“I can’t even explain the value of this series victory,” said head coach. “Beating the No. 2 RPI team in the country, a team that’s at the top of our league, a team that is historically an incredible program; I think these two wins mean a ton, especially heading into the postseason and making our case trying to strengthen our resume.”
Pitcher Sydney Berzon, coming in relief in the third inning, earns the victory and moves to 17-5 in the circle after dealing two strikeouts on no walks allowed while allowing one run on two hits in 4.0 innings of work. Pitcher Jayden Heavener opened the contest for the Tigers and threw four strikeouts and no free passes while allowing one run on three hits in 2.0 innings.
Florida pitcher Keagan Rothrock (11-5) was charged with the loss after allowing four runs on six hits with two walks while throwing two strikeouts in 5.0 innings pitched.
Six Tiger batters registered hits on the night. Outfielder Jadyn Laneaux went 3-for-3 at the plate, matching a season-high in hits, and scored one run and finished with two RBI. Coffey posted a 2-for-4, one-run showing highlighted by a two-RBI double in the sixth inning.
“Our offense is special and is having an incredible season, so it’s fun to see them have moments like that,” said Coach Torina. “It’s fun to see a player like Jadyn Laneaux have an incredible night, just thinking about all the work she’s put in. She watched us play a lot last year, never checked out, and never stopped working. She’s getting the benefits of that right now. It’s a cool story, so it’s fun to see a player like that have so much success as well as our offense as a whole.”
Heavener opened the game by retiring the first four of five batters with three punchouts. The freshman tossed two one-hit shutout innings before Florida snuck in a run in the top of the third.
The LSU bats warmed up in the fourth, thanks to a leadoff single from catcher Maci Bergeron and a double by infielder Tori Edwards to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Outfielder McKenzie Redoutey stepped to the plate and recorded an RBI on a groundout to tie the game, and Laneaux singled up the middle to score Edwards and give LSU a 2-1 lead through four innings.
The Gators knotted the contest off a two-out home run by shortstop Rylee Holtorf in the top of the fifth inning.
Despite Florida holding a runner in scoring position in the sixth inning, Berzon and the LSU defense held firm by retiring the final four of five batters.
