The Tigers headed out to the desert this weekend looking to emerge victorious while playing on the road at the Tempe Regional to open the NCAA Tournament. But after a 10-5 Game 1 loss against the San Diego State Aztecs, LSU’s stay in the postseason could be brief as it faces an elimination game on Saturday.
Much of this game was a back-and-forth affair, but it was bookended by poor play from the Tigers. [autotag]Ali Kilponen[/autotag] got the start at pitcher in this one, but she allowed a pair of one-run homers in the first as her team fell behind early.
The Tigers got their answer in the form of a two-run homer from [autotag]Morgan Smith[/autotag] in the bottom of the second to even the game, but a trio of base hits and a fielding error led to three Aztec runs to open the third as the deficit grew for LSU.
Once again, though, it had an answer. [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag] came up clutch with a three-run homer in the bottom of that inning to tie the game at five runs apiece, and it looked like we were heading to a thrilling finish.
That’s not exactly how it played out, though. The Tigers swapped pitchers, and [autotag]Shelbi Sunseri[/autotag] allowed a run to score on a wild pitch before giving up a two-run blast as LSU found itself down three once again.
Unlike before, it had no answer. It couldn’t get much going on offense down the stretch and squandered the opportunities it did have, stranding runners in the fifth and seventh innings. SDSU added to its lead after an error in the sixth and another homer allowed by Sunseri in the seventh as it completed the upset.
Final from game one in Tempe
SDSU – 10
LSU – 5— LSU Softball (@LSUsoftball) May 21, 2022
The Tigers will play an elimination game on Saturday against the loser of the matchup between regional host Arizona State and four-seeded California State Fullerton. They will try to keep their season alive as they face a do-or-die situation after just one game.
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