Tag: Ciara Briggs

LSU softball announces addition of 3 veteran transfers

Beth Torina has reloaded the roster after quite a few big names left this offseason.

It’s going to be a changing of the guard for LSU softball entering the 2025 season.

Star pitcher [autotag]Sydney Berzon[/autotag] returns. However, many big names, including [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag], [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag] and [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag], will not. Coach [autotag]Beth Torina[/autotag] turned to the transfer portal in search of experience and succeeded.

Earlier this week, LSU announced the addition of three transfers: infielder [autotag]Avery Hodge[/autotag] (Oklahoma), outfielder [autotag]Jalia Lassiter[/autotag] (Ole Miss) and pitcher [autotag]Ashley Vallejo[/autotag] (McNeese).

Hodge was a member of the Sooners’ last two national title-winning teams, batting .284 this past season with six extra-base hits and nine RBIs. Lassiter was Ole Miss’ leader in hits in 2024 with a .314 average, four home runs and 29 RBIs.

Unlike Hodge and Lassiter, who have two remaining years of eligibility, Vallejo is a graduate transfer. In four years at McNeese, she went 45-24 on the mound with a 2.44 ERA and 306 strikeouts in 416 2/3 career innings.

After leading the Tigers to three consecutive Women’s College World Series appearances and four in her first six seasons, Torina is looking to return to Oklahoma City for the first time since 2017 after a super regional exit this spring.

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Sydney Berzon named LSWA Pitcher of the Year

Sydney Berzon headlines the six Tigers players who were honored by the LSWA on the All-Louisiana teams.

After a fantastic sophomore season at LSU, softball’s [autotag]Sydney Berzon[/autotag] has been named the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Pitcher of the Year in the state.

Berzon was also an All-American this season and last, finishing 2024 with a 20-9 record and 1.78 ERA while striking out 185 batters. Her play also earned her First Team All-Louisiana honors for the second year in a row.

She’s joined on the First Team by shortstop [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag], outfielder [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag] and utlitily [autotag]Kelley Lynch[/autotag]. On the Second Team, outfielder Ali Newland was the only Tiger who made the cut though [autotag]Raeleen Gutierrez[/autotag] earned an honorable mention at first base.

The Tigers are certainly poised for a changing of the guard after this season. Of these six players, only Berzon is set to return in 2025. There will be a lot of new pieces for coach [autotag]Beth Torina[/autotag], but she’ll hope to find a core as talented as this one.

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LSU falls to Stanford in Game 2 of super regional

LSU couldn’t carry over its offensive performance from Friday as the Tigers dropped Game 2.

After an offensive explosion in Game 1, LSU softball failed to conjure up the same fireworks in Game 2. Stanford’s NiJaree Canady had a season-worst performance on Friday but returned to ace form on Saturday evening.

Canady held LSU hitless through four and when the Tigers got runners on late, the lineup couldn’t cash in. Canady, who led the nation in ERA entering the super regional, made the clutch pitches to preserve the shutout.

For most of the night, LSU’s [autotag]Kelley Lynch[/autotag] went pitch for pitch with Canady. But Stanford got to Lynch in the fourth when Taryn Kern and Kyran Chan notched back-to-back extra base hits. Stanford seized momentum and added two insurance runs in the seventh, but Lynch stuck it out and completed the game.

Lynch allowed seven hits and struck out three on the night.

On offense, LSU threatened Canady a few times. The Tigers’ lineup brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, but the timely hits weren’t there.

[autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag] and [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag] were the only Tigers to record hits on Saturday night while Lynch drew a couple of walks.

Torina and LSU will look to win the decisive game three on Sunday to clinch its first Women’s College World Series appearance since 2017. With Canady making back-to-back starts, pitching depth could be on LSU’s side entering Sunday, but the lineup will have to deliver.

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LSU softball run-rules Southern Illinois to advance to super regionals

LSU advances to a super regional for the 10th time in program history and first since 2021.

LSU’s breezy run through the Baton Rouge Regional continued on Sunday. The Tigers shut out Southern Illinois 9-0 in run-rule fashion as they took the opening game of the regional final and advanced to the super regionals next weekend.

[autotag]Raeleen Gutierrez[/autotag] got the scoring started in the bottom of the first, connecting on a two-out RBI double to right field as LSU led 1-0 early. [autotag]Karli Petty[/autotag] added to that in the second with an RBI single with two runners on base.

After a sacrifice flyout from [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag], [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag] really broke the game wide open with a three-run homer as the Tigers put up a five-spot in the frame to go up 6-0.

The flood continued for LSU in the third, with [autotag]Maci Bergeron[/autotag] hitting a two-run bomb followed by a solo shot from Petty. [autotag]Kelley Lynch[/autotag] wrapped up the one-hit complete game in the fifth, earning a shutout win while striking out six batters.

Now, LSU advances to the super regional round for the 10th time in program history and first since 2021, where it will either travel to face No. 8 national seed Stanford or host Cal State Fullerton in Baton Rouge.

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LSU softball breezes past Southern Illinois into Baton Rouge Regional final

LSU is now one win from securing a berth in a super regional.

LSU softball is just one win away from a berth in a super regional after it won its winners’ bracket game against Southern Illinois 4-1. Coach Beth Torina’s team moves on to the regional final, where its opponent hasn’t yet been determined.

The Tigers started out hot in the first inning when [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag] hit a two-run bomb to take the early lead, and it nearly added to it in the second inning but stranded a pair of baserunners. But in the third, [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag] hit a two-out RBI single as LSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead.

The Salukis managed to cut into the lead in the sixth inning, though it was just one run as they trailed by two entering the final frame. However, that margin didn’t last as a sacrifice fly from [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag] in the top of the seventh put the Tigers back up three runs.

[autotag]Sydney Berzon[/autotag], who allowed just four hits and one run while striking out eight in a complete game, retired the side in order to secure the win in the bottom of the seventh.

Now, Southern Illinois faces the winner of an elimination game between Cal and Jackson State. The winner of the subsequent elimination game will face the Tigers in Sunday’s regional final needing to win two in a row.

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LSU softball clinches series win against Liberty in Game 2

The Tigers sealed a win in their final regular season series on Saturday night.

The LSU softball team lost four-straight series to conclude SEC play, but it’ll head into the SEC tournament with some momentum after it secured a victory in the final series of the regular season in Game 2 against Liberty.

The Tigers jumped out to a big lead early and ultimately held on to win 9-4.

LSU was the first to strike in the bottom of the opening frame when [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag] drew a bases-loaded walk. However, that’s all the Tigers managed to reap from the opportunity.

Liberty evened things up with a solo shot in the top of the second, but a [autotag]Raeleen Gutierrez[/autotag] single in the bottom of the inning plated a pair of runs and gave LSU the lead back.

It extended that lead the following inning after an RBI single from [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag] and a wild pitch that allowed [autotag]Hannah Carson[/autotag] to score. The Flames managed to cut into that deficit a bit with another solo home run in the fourth, but it was one step forward, two steps back again.

Pleasants and [autotag]Karli Petty[/autotag] led off the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back homers, extending the lead to 7-2. The Tigers added to that lead further in the fifth with a groundout from Pleasants, which allowed them to score a run.

Liberty attempted a rally in the sixth, scoring a pair of runs on a two-RBI double, but Carson got a run back for LSU on an RBI double of her own.

[autotag]Raelin Chaffin[/autotag], who pitched the final 1.1 innings after [autotag]Kelley Lynch[/autotag] earned the win, closed things out with three straight outs in the top of the seventh.

The Tigers will go for the sweep in Game 3, which will be on Sunday at 5 p.m. CT.

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LSU softball shuts out Arkansas in Game 3 to avoid sweep

The Tigers finish the SEC regular season with a 12-12 record.

The LSU softball team ended SEC regular season play with four-straight series losses, but it avoided a sweep on Sunday against Arkansas. The Tigers earned a 1-0 shutout win in Game 3 as they finish SEC play at 12-12.

As has been the case in many recent games for LSU, it was a low-scoring affair. The two teams combined for just four hits in the first four innings as the game remained gridlocked with no runs scored until the fifth.

In the bottom of the frame, LSU had the closest thing we saw to an offensive explosion as it drew a leadoff walk and a single later in the inning. [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag] came through with a single that broke the 0-0 tie and scored a run.

The Tigers ultimately stranded three in the inning as they missed the chance to extend their lead further, but it was all they would need. [autotag]Sydney Berzon[/autotag] worked through the final two innings mostly cleanly, allowing a pair of walks but no hits or runs.

She ultimately tossed a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits and four walks while striking out six.

The Tigers don’t have a lot of momentum heading into the final week of the regular season, but they’ll look to get back on track in a three-game set against Liberty before the SEC tournament begins.

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LSU softball drops series to Florida after Game 3 loss in extras

The Tigers had their chances but made too many crucial errors to win.

The Tigers had the chance to secure a huge series win on the road Monday night, but they fell short in an error-filled Game 3 that went to eight innings as Florida walked it off to win 6-5.

The only run in the first four innings came off an LSU mistake when it struck out a Gators batter with two outs who then reached first on a throwing error to score a run.

After most of the game was quiet, [autotag]Maddox McKee[/autotag] evened things up with an RBI single in the fifth, and in the next at-bat, a two-run homer from [autotag]Maci Bergeron[/autotag] gave LSU a 3-1 lead. [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag] added a two-run double in the sixth to extend the lead to 5-1, and things were looking good.

But the Gators stormed back in the bottom of the frame. They got one run off another LSU error, and a triple ultimately cleaned up the basepaths, bringing three runners home to tie the game.

The game ultimately went to extras and with two outs, [autotag]Sydney Berzon[/autotag] struck out Skylar Wallace in the bottom of the eighth. But once again, she was able to reach on a throwing error, and this time, it was a game-ending mistake.

After a frustrating series loss, LSU returns home to host Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday night before Auburn comes to town for a weekend series beginning on Friday night.

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Taylor Pleasants’ walk-off homer lifts LSU softball past Texas A&M in extra-innings Game 1 win

Taylor Pleasants was the hero once again as LSU took Game 1 on Friday night.

It took an extra inning, but the LSU softball team survived a pitching duel against Texas A&M in Game 1 on Thursday night thanks to a no-doubt, walk-off bomb from [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag] in the eighth to give the Tigers a 2-1 win.

The Aggies struck first in the opening frame as [autotag]Sydney Berzon[/autotag] allowed a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases. She then walked a run home as Texas A&M snagged the early 1-0 lead, but she got out of the jam without allowing any more damage.

That was all the offense either team could manage until the bottom of the fifth inning when [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag] hit a two-out single to score [autotag]Maia Townsend[/autotag] from third. However, the Tigers couldn’t claim the lead as we went into the penultimate inning knotted up at one run apiece.

LSU went into the bottom of the seventh with a chance to walk it off, and McKenzie Redoutey led off with a single, but the next three batters went down in order, and the game headed to extras.

After the Aggies left one runner on base in the top of the eighth, LSU ended things quickly in the bottom of the frame as Pleasants hit her walk-off homer to end the game and give the Tigers the early advantage in the series.

 

Berzon pitched an eight-inning complete game, allowing seven hits but just one earned run while striking out five.

LSU will be back in action for Game 2 against Texas A&M at Tiger Park on Friday, which is set for 5 p.m. CT.

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Instant analysis as LSU softball beats Nicholls handily on the road

LSU got back on track with an easy win over the Colonels on Tuesday.

The LSU softball team bounced back nicely from its second-straight series loss in SEC play on Tuesday night, heading down to Thibodeaux to secure a convincing 10-2 win on the road against Nicholls.

[autotag]Maddox McKee[/autotag] got the scoring started in the second inning with an RBI double, and a two-run homer from [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag] later in the frame gave LSU a 3-0 lead.

McKee added another RBI in the third inning with a single that brought a runner home, and the Tigers really broke the game open in the sixth with a three-run homer from [autotag]McKaela Walker[/autotag] that gave them a 7-0 lead.

[autotag]Raelin Chaffin[/autotag] was pitching a shutout heading into the bottom of the sixth, but she allowed a two-RBI single as the Colonels managed to cut into the lead a bit.

However, in the seventh, LSU got those runs back and then some. First, it was a sac fly from [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag], followed by an RBI triple from [autotag]Raeleen Gutierrez[/autotag]. Finally, [autotag]Karli Petty[/autotag] hit an RBI single as the Tigers took a 10-2 lead into the final half-inning.

Chaffin retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh to finish off the complete game. The Tigers will be back in action on Thursday as they return home to host No. 11 Texas A&M for a weekend series.

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