Instant Analysis: LSU softball drops series to Ole Miss with blowout loss on Monday night

The Tigers entered the weekend as the nation’s lone unbeaten, but now they’ll have to bounce back from a series loss.

LSU was riding high coming into this weekend’s home-opening SEC series against Ole Miss after earning a sweep to begin SEC play last weekend.

The Tigers were 23-0 on the year and took Game 1 against the Rebels, but Games 2 and 3 went south. With a blowout 9-2 loss on Monday night, they dropped their first SEC series of the season and fell to 24-2 (4-2 SEC) on the year.

It was Ole Miss’ first series win in Baton Rouge since 2008.

Starting pitcher [autotag]Raelin Chaffin[/autotag] looked like she was going to get through the first two innings without allowing any damage, but with two outs in the second, she gave up a run of five straight singles.

Three runs scored, and Chaffin was yanked from the game in favor of [autotag]Kelley Lynch[/autotag]. After getting out of the second, Lynch gave up a solo shot in the third as Ole Miss jumped out to a 4-0 lead.

LSU would cut that deficit in half as [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag] hit a solo homer of her own in the bottom of the frame, and [autotag]McKenzie Redoutey[/autotag] scored on a wild pitch in the fourth.

However, LSU got into trouble again in the fifth when Lynch loaded up the bases. She allowed a run to score on a fielder’s choice, and after a walk reloaded the bases, a single scored another run.

The Tigers pulled her for [autotag]Sydney Berzon[/autotag], who immediately gave up a two-RBI single as Ole Miss stretched its lead to 8-2. In the sixth, it added another run off a single.

LSU couldn’t get a rally going in the seventh as it went down in order.

The Tigers will have some time off to lick their wounds before returning to the field next weekend for another road SEC series against Missouri.

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‘Sundays are hard’: Trisha Ford explains 1-run loss vs. No. 21 Mississippi St. to snap 8-game win streak

“That’s what I talked to the team about,” she said. “Sundays are hard, Sundays we have to figure out how to come out here and grind it out.”

The Texas A&M softball team had its eight-game winning streak snapped on Sunday afternoon with a narrow loss against Mississippi State.

The No. 21 Bulldogs (21-6, 3-3 SEC) avoided the sweep with a 6-5 victory, giving the No. 17 Aggies (25-3, 5-1) their first conference loss of the season. Texas A&M coach Trisha Ford spoke to the media postgame.

“I thought we just didn’t do a great job of executing our gameplan,” Ford explained. “We had a couple of opportunities there. The zone was pretty tight for both teams and we didn’t do a good job of executing and kind of using that to our advantage. That’s just how it goes, they had more fight in us. That’s what I talked to the team about.

‘Sundays are hard, Sundays we have to figure out how to come out here and grind it out.'”

The Aggies had the tying run at third base in the top of the seventh inning but were unable to get the runner home.

“We were in the right part of the lineup for us to do some damage,” Ford recalled. “We just ran out of time.”

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Lady Vols shut out Missouri to complete series sweep

Lady Vols shut out Missouri to complete series sweep.

No. 8 Tennessee (22-4, 3-0 SEC) defeated No. 11 Missouri (23-6, 2-4 SEC), 4-0, Sunday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

Sunday’s win is Tennessee’s 14th consecutive win.

Tennessee hit three home run in the series finale against the Tigers.

Laura Mealer hit a solo home run in the second inning to give the Lady Vols a 1-0 lead.

McKenna Gibson hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning and Kiki Milloy hit a solo home run in the fifth inning for the Lady Vols.

Milloy went 2-for-2 nd recorded two runs, two stolen bases and one RBI, while Gibson went 2-for-3 in the contest.

Karlyn Pickens (12-2) pitched a complete game, three-hit shutout. She allowed one walk and recorded 11 strikeouts.

Instant Analysis: Ole Miss hands LSU softball first loss of the season on Sunday

LSU’s perfect start to the season came to an end on Sunday.

It’s been a magical start to the season for LSU softball, but its perfect start came to an end on Sunday with a 5-2 loss to Ole Miss. The Tigers fall to 24-1 on the year with the defeat.

LSU got the scoring started in the second inning with a sacrifice fly from [autotag]Kelley Lynch[/autotag] that scored [autotag]Karli Petty[/autotag], but that was all it managed in the frame.

In the bottom of the fourth, Petty paid it forward with a sac-fly that scored [autotag]McKenzie Redoutey[/autotag] to give LSU a 2-0 lead.

Things were going well for LSU and particularly pitcher [autotag]Sydney Berzon[/autotag], but with two outs in the top of the sixth, Berzon gave up a pair of RBI singles as the Rebels managed to tie the game.

Things got even worse for Berzon in the seventh as she allowed a single, and another runner reached on a fielding error. After another ball couldn’t be fielded cleanly and the ensuing throw was off, Ole Miss managed to take the lead.

The Rebels then blew the game wide open with a single that plated two more runs and gave them a 5-2 lead.

LSU put two on in the bottom of the seventh, but with two outs and the tying run at the plate, [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag] hit into a game-ending groundout.

Berzon takes the loss having pitched a complete game while allowing six hits and five runs, only two of which were earned. Now, the Tigers will try to rally back to take the series on Monday in Game 3, which is set for 6 p.m. CT at Tiger Park.

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Alabama softball knocks off No. 5 Georgia on Sunday 5-4

Alabama softball picks up a huge road win against No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs on Sunday

The No. 15 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide softball team used a massive five-run fourth earning to pick up a 5-4 road victory against No. 5 Georgia on Sunday. The Bulldogs did pick up wins on Friday and Saturday to secure the series, but picking up a road win against a top-five team is still huge for the Tide moving forward.

All things considered, it was a successful week for the Tide as they also picked up a 3-0 victory against No. 13 Florida on Monday before traveling to Tallahassee, FL on Wednesday and knocking off the No. 16 Seminoles 4-1. Alabama is now 22-5 on the year, but only 2-4 in SEC play.

Just like the baseball team today, the game went all the way down to the final pitch as [autotag]Kayla Beaver[/autotag] struck out a swinging Jaiden Fields with bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh. Beaver was phenomenal as she pitched a complete game allowing just seven hits and two earned runs. The Tide will be back in action on Tuesday against Samford.

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Duke softball wins road series over No. 16 Florida State

Duke softball lost its second game of the season on Saturday, but the Blue Devils still took two out of three from their ranked ACC foes.

Duke softball traveled to Tallahassee this weekend for its first ACC road trip of the 2024 season.

Despite the No. 6 Blue Devils suffering their first loss since the season opener, Duke still left with a series victory over the No. 16 Florida State.

The Blue Devils rode into town with a 20-game win streak and showed no signs of slowing down on Friday night.

Duke star pitcher Jala Wright got the start on the mound and continued her exceptional form to begin the 2024 season. She hadn’t allowed an earned run in her previous 26 innings when she tossed her first pitch of the weekend, and she retired her first nine batters of the opening game. She struck out the entire side in the second inning, and after a leadoff single ended her perfect game in the fourth, she retired the side with her fourth strikeout of the day to end the inning.

On the offensive end, senior left fielder Claire Davidson launched a two-run home run in the opening inning to claim an early lead. She drove in another run two innings later when she tripled into left field, giving Duke a 3-0 advantage.

Davidson came to the plate for the third time in the fifth inning with two runners on, and she again laced a single into the outfield for her fourth RBI of the afternoon. Second baseman Aminah Vega doubled home two more runs in the very next at-bat, and Duke led 7-0 after four innings.

Shortstop Jada Baker picked up two RBIs herself in the middle of the game, first with an RBI single in the fourth inning before a solo home run in the sixth stretched the lead to eight. A two-run double from Vega later ballooned the advantage to 10-0 as she, Baker, and Davidson drove in every Blue Devils run.

Florida State’s bats finally awoke in the bottom of the sixth, picking up four runs (including the first earned run on Wright in nearly a month) after a handful of singles and walks. However, the Seminoles couldn’t pull any closer than 10-5 before the final out was recorded.

The road rivals bounced back on Saturday, however, to hand Duke its first loss since the season opener. Duke’s star sophomore Cassidy Curd started the second game in the circle, but Florida State chased her after just two innings. After an opening flyout, the Seminoles laced together four straight hits in the first inning, including two doubles and a triple, for a 3-0 lead before the end of the opening frame.

The Blue Devils’ offense could never get off the ground in the second game of the weekend, with only one baserunner (an Ana Gold walk in the first) across the first four innings. Florida State added a fourth run in the third inning, and a sixth-inning Duke rally could only muster two runs.

With the series on the line on Sunday, however, the Blue Devils came through.

After a Florida State run in the opening frame, Francesca Frelick rocked around the tying run in the second with a sacrifice fly. One inning later, Vega and Amiah Burgess brought in another run each to stretch the advantage to 3-1.

Duke still led 5-3 going into the bottom of the seventh inning, but Florida State refused to let the series end early. With the tying run on third base with only one out, however, Duke gave Wright the ball again.

The star pitcher forced a groundout (albeit surrendering the tying run due to contact) and a flyout to force an extra inning.

As was the story on Friday, Claire Davidson played hero once again. The Blue Devils led by two after a double by slugger Ana Gold, but the senior outfielder launched another home run to break the game apart in extra innings.

Florida State couldn’t score a run in the bottom of the eighth, giving Duke the series win and improving the Blue Devils to 22-2 on the season.

The Blue Devils play UNC Wilmington in a home doubleheader on Wednesday.

Ohio State softball drops decision to Kentucky

Back at it Sunday. #GoBucks

The Ohio State softball team is still trying to find its best self after a 9-4 loss to SEC foe Kentucky on Saturday, its second-straight loss.

The Buckeyes started off on the right foot by scoring the first run of the game on a double steal of second and home. That was short-lived though because the Wildcats came right back in the bottom of the inning with two, two-run home runs to take a 4-1 lead after just one inning.

Kirsten Eppele got OSU back to within one however with a two-run bomb of her own in the top of the second inning and just like that, we had a game again at 4-3 Kentucky. Jasmyn Burns would hit another homer for OSU in the top of the third inning to draw things even at four runs each.

That would be the last time the Buckeyes were tied though. The Wildcats grabbed the lead back on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third inning, then would add four runs on four hits in the bottom of the fifth to break the game open with a score of 9-4.

And that would be all the scoring for the game. Allison Smith took the loss, giving up five runs on five hits, while striking out two and walking three in 2.1 innings.

OSU and UK will do battle again on Sunday afternoon.

 

No. 13 Texas A&M takes second straight SEC series beating No. 21 Mississippi State twice on Saturday

The Aggies extend their winning streak to eight and notch their second consecutive SEC series win

No. 13 Texas A&M (25-2, 5-0 SEC) wins the series over No. 21 Mississippi State (20-6, 2-3 SEC), outscoring the Bulldogs 17-5 across two games on Saturday.

The Aggie continue their blazing hot start to the season, sweeping the double-header and extending their win streak to eight with a 5-0 start to SEC play. They have shown themselves to be a complete team from top to bottom. Coach Ford has a squad with a unique blend of speed and power that makes them a dangerous matchup.

Emiley Kennedy has been the Aggies’ ace on the mound and when they need an out, Ford has no issues putting her in the game. So far in SEC play she’s pitched two complete games and two shutouts with 23 strikeouts. Koko Wooley also had a day with some savvy baserunning, leading to three steals and recording three stolen bases.

Day one:

Texas A&M vs Mississippi State / Win / 9-0 (run-rule)

  • Total offense:  9 hits, 9 runs
  • Pitching: Emiley Kennedy W (13-1): 5.0 innings, 7 Ks, 94 pitches.

Texas A&M vs Mississippi State / Win / 8-5

  • Total offense:  10 hits, 8 runs
  • Pitching: Shaylee Ackerman W (5-1): 3.0 innings, 2 Ks, 54 pitches. Emily Leavitt: 2.0 innings, 2 K, 43 pitches. Brooke Vestal: 1.0 innings, 1 Ks, 24 pitches. Emiley Kennedy: 1.0 innings, 1 Ks, 27 pitches.

Texas A&M will wrap up the series when they Mississippi State in game three on March 17 at 11 a.m.

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Recap: Auburn loses a pair at home to Arkansas

Recap: Auburn loses a pair at home to Arkansas

Auburn softball had a rough go of it on Saturday, losing both games of a back-to-back doubleheader to No. 17 in blowout fashion.

The rainy weather from Friday seemed to carry over to Auburn’s bats on Saturday, as the No. 25 Tigers managed just two runs of offense in both games of the twin-bill. Auburn’s pitching wasn’t much better despite ace Maddie Penta getting the ball in game 1, and the Tigers have now lost back-to-back series to open up their SEC schedule.

Here is a rundown of how Saturday’s action played out on the Plains.

Game One: Arkansas 6 Auburn 1

Runs Hits Errors LOB
Auburn 1 4 0 4
Arkansas 6 8 0 3

Ace pitcher Maddie Penta (7-4) got the nod for game 1 of the doubleheader and was immediately trounced by the Arkansas lineup. The Razorbacks did almost all of their opening-game damage in the opening inning thanks to home runs by junior Bri Ellis and Hannah Gammill.

Penta was able to settle down slightly after the rough start to her afternoon as she was able to gut her way through 5 innings of 6-run ball.

On the other side, Hogs ace Morgan Leinstock (6-0) was nearly un-hittable. Leinstock went the distance in the game, allowing one lone run after she hit [autotag]KK McCray[/autotag] with a pitch to lead off the fourth and allowed her to score on a single by DePaul transfer [autotag]Anna Wohlers[/autotag]. Wohlers RBI knock was one of only four hits the Tigers managed in the front end of the double-header.

Game Two: Arkansas 5 Auburn 1

Runs Hits Errors LOB
Auburn 1 8 1 8
Arkansas 5 7 0 3

Game two of the doubleheader was a near copy of game one. Like the first game, Arkansas got on the board in the top of the first with a home run, this time by freshmen catcher Kennedy Miller.

Also like game one, Auburn’s lone run was scored on an RBI by [autotag]Anna Wohlers[/autotag], who brought home KK McCray, this time with a sac fly.

Unlike the opener, the Auburn lineup was given plenty of chances against Arkansas starter Hannah Camenzind (6-0), but the Tigers were unable to turn those opportunities into runs.

After scoring in the bottom of the first, Auburn consistently put traffic on the bases but was held scoreless for the remainder of the game, putting an end to an extremely frustrating day.

Next Game

The (13-6-1) Tigers will aim to salvage the series tomorrow at noon during a St. Patrick’s Day matinee at Jane B. Moore Field.

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Lady Vols win series against Missouri

Tennessee softball wins series against Missouri.

No. 8 Tennessee (21-4, 2-0 SEC) defeated No. 11 Missouri (22-5, 2-3 SEC), 8-2, Saturday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

The Lady Vols completed a Southeastern Conference series win against Missouri.

Tennessee also won its 13th consecutive contest and improved to 10-0 at home in 2024.

Taylor Pannell went 1-for-4 and hit a grand slam, while Bella Faw went 1-for-3 and hit a home run and scored three runs for Tennessee. Faw hit a home run in her second consecutive game.

Kiki Milloy went 1-for-3, recording three runs and one double, while McKenna Gibson went 2-for-3 and totaled two RBIs and one run.

Payton Gottshall (8-2) pitched a complete game for Tennessee. She allowed two runs, three hits and seven walks, while recording 10 strikeouts.

Tennessee’s Giulia Koutsoyanopulos (27) is tagged out at second during a game between Tennessee and Missouri in Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., Saturday, March 16, 2024. Caitie McMekin/USA TODAY Network