Tag: Ciara Briggs

PHOTOS: LSU softball blanks Ragin’ Cajuns to advance to the regional final

The Tigers took care of business on Saturday and have now outscored opponents 16-2 in their first two tournament games.

The Tigers are 2-0 to start the Baton Rouge Regional after Saturday’s 4-0 shutout win over a Louisiana squad that’s one of the top mid-majors in the country.

Pitcher [autotag]Sydney Berzon[/autotag] was electric in her postseason debut, tossing a complete game shutout. [autotag]McKenzie Redoutey[/autotag] got the scoring started with a home run in the bottom of the second, while [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag] and [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag] also recorded RBI singles.

The Tigers will now await the winner of the elimination game between Louisiana and Omaha. The winner will have to beat LSU twice on Sunday, while just one victory for Beth Torina’s team would be enough to advance to a super regional, which would either be at Washington or at home at Tiger Park.

Here were the best photos from Saturday’s win.

LSU softball shuts out Louisiana, 1 win away from advancing to super regional

The Tigers move on to the regional final on Sunday afternoon.

LSU pitcher Sydney Berzon shined in her postseason debut on Saturday, tossing a complete game shutout as the No. 10-seeded LSU softball team earned a 4-0 win over Louisiana to advance to the final at the Baton Rouge Regional.

The game was scoreless going into the bottom of the second, though LSU had to make an excellent play at the plate to save a run at the top of the inning.

That wouldn’t last, however. [autotag]McKenzie Redoutey[/autotag] hit a home run in the bottom of the frame, and the Tigers added to the lead in the third. [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag] hit an RBI single, and following a pitching change, [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag] hit an RBI single herself which plated two runs.

Berzon was fantastic on the mound, but UL managed to get a rally going in the top of the sixth. The Ragin’ Cajuns got three-straight singles, and the latter should have scored a run. But a base-running miscommunication led to a double-rundown situation. LSU got the out, and Berzon struck out the next batter looking to end the threat.

Berzon worked through the top of the seventh in order to clinch the victory. LSU will now sit back and wait for the rest of the regional to unfold.

The Tigers will either face Louisiana again on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT or the winner of the elimination game between Prairie View A&M and Omaha on Saturday afternoon.

The winner of that one will have to turn around and immediately play another elimination game against the Ragin’ Cajuns for the right to face the Tigers in the regional final. LSU is now just one win away from advancing to a super regional, which it could either host or have to travel to Seattle for depending on the results of Washington’s regional.

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LSU softball rolls in Baton Rouge Regional opener with dominating run-rule win over Prairie View A&M

The Tigers move on to face Louisiana in the winners bracket on Saturday.

It was all LSU in the opener against Prairie View A&M at the Baton Rouge Regional on Friday evening. The Tigers began the NCAA tournament on a high note as they rolled to a 12-2 run-rule win in five innings.

Now, coach Beth Torina’s team will move on to the 1-0 game on Saturday against Louisiana, which won its opener over Omaha 5-3.

Despite putting away the first two batters she faced to begin the game, Tigers starting pitcher [autotag]Raelin Chaffin[/autotag] couldn’t escape the first inning unscathed as she gave up a one-run homer to right field to give the Panthers the early lead. She responded with a strikeout, her second of the frame, to avoid further damage.

That lead wouldn’t last long, though. LSU led off the bottom of the frame with three-straight singles to load up the bases, and a sacrifice fly from [autotag]Georgia Clark[/autotag] brought home [autotag]Danieca Coffey[/autotag] as well as [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag] after an errant throw home.

[autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag] added a third run in the inning on another sacrifice, this time from [autotag]McKenzie Redoutey[/autotag]. [autotag]Maci Bergeron[/autotag] would then add to the lead in the bottom of the second with a leadoff solo shot over the center field wall to give LSU a 4-1 lead.

Later in the inning, Prairie View recorded another error on a throw to first after an attempted sac-bunt from Coffey, sending [autotag]Raeleen Gutierrez[/autotag] home from third still with no outs on the board. A subsequent single allowed to Briggs would prove to be the end of Panthers starter Jerrica Rojas’ night.

That wouldn’t end the onslaught, though. Pleasants greeted the new pitcher with a two-RBI single to extend the lead to 7-1.

Things just got worse for PVAMU in the third. With runners at second and third, Gutierrez scored on a passed ball. Briggs reached on a throwing error, allowing Coffey to score, and an RBI double from Pleasants brought Briggs home.

An [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag] home run capped off the inning and gave the Tigers a 12-1 lead. Prairie View would get a run back in the top of the fourth, but it stranded two runners on and remained in run-rule position.

The Panthers got two on in the top of the fifth in hopes of avoiding the end of the game, but Chaffin got a game-ending eighth strikeout. In her NCAA tournament debut, Chaffin was electric. She allowed just two hits and one earned run in a complete game victory.

LSU will face the Ragin’ Cajuns in the winner’s bracket at noon CT on Saturday.

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LSU softball defeats Central Arkansas in game one of doubleheader

LSU softball defeated Central Arkansas 3-0 on Tuesday in the first game of a double header.

The No. 13 LSU Tigers softball team is hosting Central Arkansas in a doubleheader at Tiger Park on Tuesday.

The Tigers took the first game by a score of 3-0.

With the win, LSU improves to 6-3 on the season. Central Arkansas falls to 3-6 with the loss.

Shelby Wickersham earned the start in the circle for the Tigers and started the game off with two strikeouts.

In the first inning, Amanda Doyle and Shelbi Sunseri drew walks but no runs came across the board.

LSU scored one run in the second inning as Ciara Briggs tripled then later scored on a sacrifice fly from Taylor Tidwell.

Central Arkansas threatended in the fifth inning with two runners on but Wickersham struck out a batter for the final out of the inning.

Aliyah Andrews led off the sixth inning with a hit and later scored on a single by Doyle to put the Tigers up 2-0. Georgia Clark then hit an RBI single that scored Akiya Thymes.

The Tigers shut out the Bears in the first game. Wickersham allowed four hits but no runs in the pitcher’s circle.