Tag: Georgia Clark

6-run rally not enough as LSU softball eliminated from Baton Rouge Regional by Louisiana

The Tigers season came to an end in heartbreaking fashion on Sunday night.

An impressive rally from an early six-run deficit wasn’t enough for the Tigers to keep their season alive on Sunday night. LSU was eliminated from the Baton Rouge Regional with a 9-8 loss to Louisiana, which advances to its first super regional since 2016.

Coach Beth Torina’s team has now missed the super regional round in back-to-back seasons after previously reaching six in a row.

The game started out about as bad as it possibly could have for LSU. After a leadoff single, what should have been a fielder’s choice turned into an error as the Ragin’ Cajuns had runners at the corners.

A wild pitch from [autotag]Sydney Berzon[/autotag] allowed a run to score, still with no outs on the board. Berzon then loaded up the bases after issuing back-to-back walks. She got an out on a sacrifice groundout, but a run scored to make the game 2-0.

Another walk reloaded the bases, and then things went from bad to worse as Berzon gave up a grand slam to make it 6-0, still in the first inning. That was all that UL was able to get, but LSU found itself in quite a hole before even coming to the plate.

[autotag]Georgia Clark[/autotag] managed to get one of those runs back, leading off the bottom of the second with a solo home run. LSU was then able to get a rally going in the third.

[autotag]Savannah Stewart[/autotag] and [autotag]Ciara Briggs[/autotag] reached on errors, and a single from [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag] brought a run home. Clark followed up with a single to score two more after a Louisiana pitching change.

UL walked [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag], and a hard-hit double into the gap from [autotag]McKenzie Redoutey[/autotag] scored two more runs and tied the game at six. That forced a pitching change, but even that couldn’t preserve the lead.

[autotag]Karli Petty[/autotag] hit an RBI single, and the Tigers took a 7-6 advantage. A flyout ended the frame, but the damage was done. At least, for a time.

The Tigers kept the run going in the fourth after a two-out double from Briggs, and Pleasants followed with an RBI single. Louisiana wasn’t going away, though.

Karly Heath hit a solo shot in the top of the fifth to cut the lead to one run, and a single put the tying run aboard. Berzon worked her way out of trouble, though, as the freshman got a groundout to end the threat.

The 8-7 score carried into the top of the seventh with Berzon looking to close things out. She put herself in danger again early on, allowing back-to-back singles. A sacrifice groundout got her a third of the way there, but it also put the go-ahead run in scoring position.

Disaster struck after that. An intentional walk from Berzon veered into the strike zone. Newland wasn’t ready for it behind the plate, and the Ragin’ Cajuns tied the game on a passed ball.

The tie wouldn’t last long. A deep single in the next at-bat scored the go-ahead run. Suddenly, LSU came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh three outs from elimination.

A two-out single from [autotag]Raeleen Gutierrez[/autotag] gave the team life and brought the winning run to the plate, but a flyout in foul territory from Stewart ended the game and LSU’s season.

The Tigers finish the year at 42-17.

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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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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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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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Jordy Bahl continues dominance in Sooners 3-0 win over No. 12 LSU Tigers

Jordy Bahl struck out 13 Tigers to lead the Oklahoma Sooners to a 3-0 road win over No. 12 LSU.

The Oklahoma Sooners went into a hostile environment in Baton Rouge and came up with a big 3-0 win against the No. 12 LSU Tigers. Jordy Bahl was phenomenal, throwing a complete game shutout, and striking out 13 batters for the win.

At the plate, the Sooners scored three in the top of the second, and that’s all the offense they’d need for the win.

[autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag] reached on an error and advanced to second on an errant throw. [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] then drove her in with a single up the heart of the Tigers’ defense. Then with two outs in the inning, [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] gave the Sooners a pair of insurance runs with a two-run home run to make it 3-0.

On Tuesday night, in a big-time nonconference matchup getting the ESPN2 nationally televised broadcast, Bahl delivered.

Only in the sixth inning did the Tigers threaten to put a dent in Oklahoma’s 3-0 lead. LSU was able to get runners on first and second with two outs and [autotag]Georgia Clark[/autotag] at the plate. Coming into the matchup with Oklahoma, Clark had three home runs in her previous four games, according to the ESPN2 broadcast. She battled Bahl to a full count before lining to Alyssa Brito at third base to end the inning.

Bahl allowed just three hits on the evening and walked one batter to continue a dominant run that dates back to March 13. Since allowing two runs in two innings pitched to Mississippi State on March 11, Bahl’s allowed only one run in her last 38 innings pitched.

In that same span, she’s recorded 53 strikeouts and allowed just 12 hits. To say she’s been on a roll of late is an understatement. Against a good LSU squad, Oklahoma needed Bahl to step up, and she did in a big way. She’s shown time and again in her first two seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners that she’s made for the moment.

Bahl moved to 12-1 on the season and lowered her ERA 1.30. She’s recorded 105 strikeouts in 81 innings in 2023.

The Sooners moved to 37-1 on the season and remain undefeated against top-25 opponents at 13-0. This was their 23rd shutout of the season. Oklahoma has won 29 in a row as they get set for the Miami (Ohio) Tournament, where they’ll face Oakland, Louisville, and Miami this weekend.

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LSU softball shut out at home against No. 1 Oklahoma

The Tigers couldn’t get things going offensively on Tuesday night.

LSU’s softball team only allowed two hits on their home field against the No. 1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners, who entered Tuesday night’s game on a 28-game winning streak.

That’s all OU needed, however, as it won 3-0. The Tigers had three hits but stranded four on base as they couldn’t score a run against the nation’s top team.

[autotag]Sydney Berzon[/autotag] retired the side in the first to start the game, but Oklahoma got a runner on in the second on a fielding error, and another error allowed a run to score. After a homer, her day was done.

LSU’s defense tightened up after that as [autotag]Raelin Chaffin[/autotag], [autotag]Emilee Casanova[/autotag] and [autotag]Alea Johnson[/autotag] didn’t allow another run the rest of the way, but offense was hard to come by.

The Tigers’ best challenge came in the bottom of the sixth when they got two on thanks to a single from [autotag]Danieca Coffey[/autotag] and a catcher’s interference call, but a [autotag]Georgia Clark[/autotag] lineout ended the threat.

LSU will now hit the road for a ranked series against No. 21 Auburn, which starts Friday.

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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’s season ends after dropping second game in Tempe Regional

LSU’s postseason run came to an underwhelming end in Tempe on Saturday night against Cal State Fullerton.

For the first time since 2014, LSU softball will not be advancing to a super regional.

LSU dropped the opener at the Tempe Regional to San Diego State on Friday, and it was the same story on Saturday in a 3-2 loss to Cal State Fullerton in the elimination game, which ended the Tigers’ postseason run.

LSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead, scoring two in the top of the first. The Titans responded by one-upping the Tigers with three in the bottom of the inning. That 3-2 score held tight the rest of the way and just like that, it was over for LSU.

Down to the last out, [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag] reached in the seventh with a double down the third baseline. That brought slugger [autotag]Georgia Clark[/autotag] to the plate, who walked after a full count. CSF put an end to the threat the next batter after a [autotag]Shelbi Sunseri[/autotag] strikeout.

It’s a disappointing end of the year for Beth Torina’s group. Arizona State was always going to be the favorite to advance out of this regional, but LSU went 0-2, dropping both games to lower seeded teams.

There were a lot of things to like about this LSU team, but it was never able to put it all together. There’s talent there, but there was far too much inconsistency for a program of this stature.

There will be speculation about Torina’s at LSU. She is one of the few holdovers from the previous administration, and [autotag]Scott Woodward[/autotag] has moved to instill his coaches at many of LSU’s popular athletic programs.

Softball could be next.

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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.