Tag: Ali Kilponen

LSU softball handed first loss of regional, setting up Game 7 vs. Louisiana on Sunday night

LSU softball dropped the first game of the regional final to the Ragin’ Cajuns, setting up a winner take all rematch on Sunday night.

LSU lost its first game of the regional on Sunday afternoon, dropping one 7-4 to Louisiana.

Louisiana plated one against LSU starter [autotag]Ali Kilponen[/autotag] in the first, but the LSU offense found a response. [autotag]Karli Petty[/autotag] blasted one over the center field fence and kicked off a four-run inning for the Tigers.

UL had a response of its own, homering in the bottom of the inning and knocking Kilponen out of the game. The Cajuns kept it going in the third, chasing [autotag]Alea Johnson[/autotag] from the mound and forcing [autotag]Beth Torina[/autotag] to turn to a third pitcher in [autotag]Raelin Chaffin[/autotag].

Chaffin allowed a run of her own, but helped stabilize the game and went the rest of the way.

Meanwhile, LSU struggled to create runs after the four-run second. The Tigers didn’t notch a single hit over the next four innings. A walk and stolen base put a runner in scoring position in the fifth, but nothing came of it.

In the top of the seventh, LSU mounted a threat, putting runners on second and third with two outs. [autotag]Georgia Clark[/autotag] then lifted a ball down the left field line that was ruled foul.

Torina wanted a review but after some discussion was told a ball that went over the foul pole could not be reviewed. Clark grounded out on the next pitch and the game was over.

LSU and Louisiana will face Sunday night in Game 7 with a trip to the super regional on the line. It will be the third match of the weekend between the two. LSU won the first matchup on Saturday evening.

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No. 6-seeded LSU softball’s SEC tournament run ends with 1st round upset against Ole Miss

The Tigers will hope their 40-win resume is enough to host a regional in the NCAA tournament.

For the second-straight season, LSU’s run at the SEC softball tournament came to an end in the first round thanks to a seed upset. The No. 6-seeded Tigers lost to Ole Miss on Wednesday in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with a 5-3 extra-innings loss.

Despite overall solid performances on the mound, the Tigers struggled to get run support and were very sloppy defensively outside of the pitching, recording four errors.

After starting pitcher [autotag]Sydney Berzon[/autotag] retired three straight to begin the game, LSU got the scoring started in the bottom of the first. After issuing a four-pitch walk to leadoff hitter [autotag]Danieca Coffey[/autotag], who advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, Ole Miss allowed an RBI single to [autotag]Georgia Clark[/autotag] to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.

However, that lead wouldn’t last thanks to some sloppy play in the field. The leadoff hitter reached on a fielding error in the top of the third, advancing to second and third after a passed ball.

A fielder’s choice followed by a throwing error allowed the tying run to score, and an RBI single added a second unearned run against Berzon. She escaped the inning, but not before the Rebels took a 2-1 lead.

Another defensive lapse cost LSU a third run in the top of the fifth. Berzon recorded an error when a tapper bounced out of her glove, keeping her from recording the inning-ending out at home. Then, an errant throw home from Karli Petty allowed another run to cross home as the Tigers recorded their fourth error of the game.

LSU finally got something going on offense in the bottom of the fifth. After a pair of singles put runners at first and second, a two-RBI double from [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag] knotted things up at three. Ole Miss starter Caitlyn Riley was chased from the mound after issuing a walk, but Aynslie Furbush got a pair of outs to avoid any more damage.

With the game still tied heading into the seventh, the Rebels threatened at the top of the frame with a leadoff double, which ended Berzon’s day after 5 2/3 innings. She allowed five hits but no earned runs and struck out seven batters.

[autotag]Ali Kilponen[/autotag] entered and managed to end the threat with three straight outs, though. In the bottom of the inning, Pleasants got into scoring position after a two-out walk and a wild pitch, but LSU couldn’t capitalize as the game went to extras.

After a quiet eighth inning in which both pitchers retired the side in order, Kilponen found herself in a bit of a jam to start the ninth. She gave up a pair of two-out singles, but she got out of the inning unscathed with a strikeout.

But LSU couldn’t contain the Rebels forever. After a leadoff single in the top of the 10th, Kilponen allowed a two-run homer to Paige Smith, which gave Ole Miss a 5-3 lead. Kilponen didn’t allow any additional runs, but the damage had been done.

Down to its last chance, LSU got Clark on in the bottom of the 10th after a four-pitch walk, but with two outs, it wasn’t enough. A deep hit ball from [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag] was snagged in left-center with a fantastic catch from Jalia Lassiter to end the game.

With LSU’s run coming to an end in Fayetteville, the Tigers will hope their 40-win resume is enough to host an NCAA regional. NCAA tournament selections will be made on Sunday at 6 p.m. CT.

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LSU softball sweeps Mississippi with 8-0 shutout in Game 3

Ali Kilponen’s fourth shutout of the year on the mound helped the Tigers cap off a perfect weekend.

Editor’s Note: The following is an official press release courtesy of LSU’s athletics department.

BATON ROUGE, La. – Graduate pitcher Ali Kilponen tossed her fourth shutout of the season to help No. 15 LSU (37-11, 10-8 SEC) sweep Mississippi State (24-22, 3-14 SEC) with an 8-0 run-rule victory Sunday afternoon at Tiger Park.

“It was a great weekend for so many reasons,” said Head Coach Beth Torina. “Not just for what we did on the field, but for what it represented. It represented all the women who have battled with ovarian cancer and for the Baton Rouge community. It was a really special weekend and I couldn’t have asked for much more.”

The Tigers put together another complete game by tallying 10 or more hits for the third consecutive game, and recording their 12th shutout of the season.

Kilponen moved to 11-5 in the circle this season after tossing eight strikeouts and allowing just two hits in the complete game shutout effort. Kilponen set the tone early as she held the Bulldogs hitless through four innings, striking out eight of the first fifteen batters of the game.

A trio of juniors including outfielder Ciara Briggs, infielder Danieca Coffey, and catcher Ali Newland led the team in hits with two while five other Tigers recorded one hit on the afternoon. Newland hit one of two home runs in the game, joining graduate designated player Georgia Clark who matched her season high with four RBIs for the third time this season. Graduate infielder Karli Petty and sophomore outfielder McKenzie Redoutey each recorded one hit and an RBI in the win.

Mississippi State’s senior pitcher Matalasi Faapito (4-6) was given the loss Sunday. She allowed one run on two hits and two walks in 2.0 innings.

Coffey led off the bottom of the first with a single, and Briggs followed by reaching on an error. A couple batters later, Clark reached on a fielder’s choice and was credited an RBI when Coffey touched home plate, but a throwing error by the Bulldogs was able to score Briggs and gave LSU a 2-0 lead after the opening inning.

The Tigers struck again with two runs in the third inning. LSU had runners on first and second with one out when Petty lined a one-run double to right field. The next at bat, Redoutey hit a sac fly to left field to plate the second run of the frame to stretch the lead to 4-0.

LSU ended the game with four runs in the sixth stanza. Coffey and Briggs led off the bottom half inning with a pair of singles, and a couple batters later, Clark hit a three-run bomb to left field. Newland followed suit in the next at bat by launching her fifth homer of the season to secure the 8-0 run rule victory.

On Deck

LSU will hit the road for their final away series of the season, traveling to Tuscaloosa, Ala. for a three-game series against Alabama April 28-30.

Directly support LSU Softball by joining the Diamondbackers today!

For the latest news and information on Tiger softball, visit www.lsusports.net/softball. Fans can also follow the team on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/lsusoftball and @lsusoftball on Instagram and Twitter.

7th-inning rally not enough as LSU softball drops Game 1 at Auburn

The Tigers scored three runs in the final frame but couldn’t overcome an early deficit.

The No. 12 Tigers were shut out for six innings and change in Friday night’s series opener on the road against No. 24 Auburn, but they got something going in the final frame.

LSU scored three runs on a pair of homers from [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag] and [autotag]Karli Petty[/autotag] in the top of the seventh, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a five-run gap as AU took Game 1 by a score of 5-3.

[autotag]Ali Kilponen[/autotag] got the start for the Tigers (33-9, 6-7 SEC) on the mound, and it wasn’t her best outing as she allowed seven hits and four runs, all of them earned. She did only issue one walk in four innings with four strikeouts, but she was credited with her fifth loss of the season.

Maddie Penta, meanwhile, got the win for AU (31-12, 8-5 SEC) in a complete-game performance. She allowed six hits but was nearly perfect until the final frame despite not getting a ton of run support after the first inning.

Lindsey Garcia got the scoring started for Auburn on a two-run homer in the bottom of the first, and KK McCrary added one on an RBI single in the fourth. However, the insurance the Tigers ultimately needed came on another two-run bomb in the fifth, this time courtesy of Nelia Peralta.

LSU will look to stay alive in the series in Game 2 on Saturday, which starts at 1 p.m. CT in Auburn, Alabama.

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Recapping Tigers softball’s perfect season debut at the LSU Invitational

The Tigers began the season 5-0 with a combined run margin of 41-9 over the weekend.

Spring is just around the corner, and that can only mean one thing: Diamond sports are upon us.

The No. 25-ranked Tigers softball team began its season over the weekend, playing host for the LSU Invitational. It played five games, all of which it won with three coming via run rule, and the total margin in those contests was 41-9

LSU begins the season 5-0 with a pair of shutout wins against a ranked opponent. After playing five games in three days, the Tigers will have most of the week off before hosting a slate of games over the weekend that will feature matchups against Eastern Illinois, Ohio, Utah and Central Arkansas.

In the meantime, here’s how coach Beth Torina’s squad fared in each contest over the weekend.

LSU softball drops first game in Tempe Regional, will face elimination on Saturday

The Tigers will look to keep their season alive on Saturday after a 10-5 loss to open the postseason.

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.

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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LSU softball defeats Liberty in Easton Bama Bash

The No. 9 LSU softball team bounced back on Sunday with an 8-4 win over Liberty on two home runs from Taylor Pleasants.

The No.9 LSU Tigers softball team is in Tuscaloosa this weekend competing in the Easton Bama Bash.

On Sunday, the Tigers faced off against the Liberty Flames and won the first game of the day 8-5.

With the win, LSU improved to 5-2 on the season.

Aliyah Andrews led off the game with a hard hit double to left field. Taylor Pleasants then went yard over left field to put the Tigers up 2-0 early.

Shelbi Sunseri hit her first home run of the year to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

In the second, Liberty took Ali Kilponen deep on a two-run home run to score the team’s first two runs of the game, Then, Liberty scored another run to tie the game at 3-3.

In the top of the fourth, the Tigers answered back as Danieca Coffey hit a triple to left field that scored Kilponen to make it a 5-3 lead for LSU.

Liberty led off the bottom half of the fourth with a double. LSU brought in Sunseri to pitch but the Flames scored on an error to make it a 5-4 game.

LSU scored three runs in the sixth inning. Coffey drew a walk and later moved to second base on a single by Andrews. Pleasants hit another home run that scored both Coffey and Andrews as the Tigers took an 8-3 lead.

Liberty would score another run in the seventh to make it an 8-4 game.

Sunseri closed out the inning in the circle as LSU would hold on for a much needed win. She earned the win in the pitcher’s circle and moves to 3-1 on the season.