FAYETTEVILLE -- LSU, the third-place finisher in the 2001 Women's College World Series, justified its current No. 5 softball ranking by sweeping Arkansas 3-0, 4-0 Tuesday night before 385 fans at chilly Lady'Back Yard.
Britni Sneed (16-4), a 6-foot-1 senior right-hander from Houston, Texas, set the tone by tossing a six-hit shutout in the opener for her 16th complete-game victory of the season.
Sneed struck out nine and pushed her career total to 1,116 strikeouts -- ninth on the all-time NCAA list.
She got all the support she needed when Christy Connor lifted a fly ball one foot over the 220-foot sign in center field in the first inning for her fifth home run of the season.
Connor, a powerful lefty swinger, added an RBI single in the third inning off starter Rachel Talley (12-5), then reached on an error that plated another run in the seventh off reliever Valanna Lyons.
The Tigers (29-7, 14-2 in the Southeastern Conference) took a half-game lead over idle Alabama (13-2) atop the league standings with the sweep.
Arkansas (25-16, 6-8 SEC) was not without its chances in the opener.
The Lady'Backs loaded the bases with one out in the first on polite singles by Blaire Woodward (2-for-4), Danica White (2-for-4) and Stephanie Hunter, but Sneed retired Tiffany Woolley and Nicole Deeter on pop flies.
That left Arkansas 6-for-42 in bases-loaded situations this season.
In the UA fifth, Deeter singled with one out but was stranded when Kim Eiben was thrown out at first base by right fielder Megan Steege on a call that drew strong argument from Arkansas first base coach Eileen Schmidt. Eiben appeared to have beaten the throw by at least a half-step.
The Lady Razorbacks did not arrive home from their weekend trip to Florida until 2 a.m. Tuesday, and not even the 42-degree temperature could revive their bats.
LSU, which had seven hits in the first game, picked up where it left off with three runs in the first inning of the nightcap off UA hurler Heather Schlichtman (10-7).
Trena Peel singled and stole second, Connor walked and Erin Johnson walked to load the bases. Steege delivered a two-run single and Blair Smith added an RBI single, before left fielder Deeter threw Steege out at the plate for her second such assist of the night.
Johnson hit a deep sacrifice fly to put LSU ahead 4-0 in the second inning.
Kristin Schmidt (10-3), a 5-8 sophomore from Houston who transferred to LSU from Notre Dame after making second-team All-America, held Arkansas to two hits in the second game while fanning seven.
