LSU softball drops Game 3 to Liberty in regular season finale

LSU couldn’t get the win on Senior Day and will instead prepare for the SEC tournament, where it will open against Alabama.

The LSU softball team ended its series losing streak this weekend, taking the first two games against Liberty. But it couldn’t get the win in Sunday’s Game 3, falling 3-1 in the regular-season finale, which also marked Senior Day.

The Flames drew first blood with a two-out RBI double off [autotag]Raelin Chaffin[/autotag] in the second. They did more damage in the third with a two-run homer to take a 3-0 lead.

LSU tried to rally as it stranded two in the fifth, though it did get a run back in the sixth off an RBI single from [autotag]Raeleen Gutierrez[/autotag]. The Tigers had their chance in the seventh but ultimately left a trio of runners on base as Liberty clinched the win.

The Tigers will now head to Auburn, Alabama, for the SEC tournament, where they are the No. 8 seed. They will begin their run on Wednesday at 10 a.m. CT against No. 9-seeded Alabama.

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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 ends SEC play with 4-straight series losses after Game 2 loss to Arkansas

The Tigers will look to avoid a sweep on Sunday.

The LSU softball team has spent most of the season ranked in the top 10, but it’s going to enter the postseason without much momentum.

The Tigers lost 4-1 in Game 2 on Saturday at home to Arkansas, dropping their fourth-straight SEC series to close out conference regular season play.

After a quiet first inning, the teams each added a run in the second inning as Arkansas hit an RBI double in the top of the frame and LSU scored on a wild pitch following a pair of singles in the bottom of it.

The third, however, is when things fell apart for [autotag]Kelley Lynch[/autotag] on the mound. She walked four batters in the frame, two of which came with the bases loaded. She then gave up an RBI single as LSU fell behind 4-1, and she was pulled from the game in favor of [autotag]Raelin Chaffin[/autotag].

Heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Tigers needed quite a bit of magic. Things didn’t get off to a great start with two outs, but after a walk and a single, the tying run came to the plate.

With the series hanging on Ali Newland’s shoulders, she made contact and sent a ball deep, but it wasn’t deep enough as the Razorbacks averted disaster and clinched the series.

The Tigers will look to avoid a sweep in Game 3 on Sunday in the final conference game of the regular season before it hosts Liberty next weekend when it hosts Liberty to close out the regular season overall.

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LSU softball withstands ULM firepower in midweek win on Tuesday night

LSU’s winning streak extended to six games on Tuesday night against the Warhawks.

It wasn’t easy for the LSU softball team on Tuesday night in its midweek matchup against ULM. It allowed eight hits and had to overcome three separate deficits, but it ultimately pulled away to earn its 30th win of the season with a 7-4 victory.

The first inning was an eventful one. ULM (22-15) started the frame with three hits including a double that plated a pair of runs to give it the early lead.

But LSU (30-4) answered in the bottom of the first as [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag] led off with a full-count homer. A sacrifice groundout from [autotag]Raeleen Gutierrez[/autotag] tied the game at two, but the Tigers couldn’t retake the lead.

The Warhawks retook the lead in the second with an RBI single as LSU wasn’t quite able to make a tag at home, and that ended a short start for [autotag]Emilee Casanova[/autotag], who was chased from the game in favor of [autotag]Raelin Chaffin[/autotag].

The Tigers would tie the game at three in the bottom of the frame as [autotag]Maddox McKee[/autotag] hit a two-out single to score a run. Once again, though, LSU couldn’t protect the tie as Chaffin allowed a double and an RBI single as ULM reclaimed a 4-3 lead.

But for the third inning in a row, the Tigers answered. [autotag]Karli Petty[/autotag] hit a sacrifice fly, and [autotag]McKenzie Redoutey[/autotag] hit a three-run homer in the next at-bat as LSU jumped out to a 7-4 advantage.

There were no runs scored in the final four frames, and the Warhawks struggled to keep things going on offense, though they did ultimately strand a pair of baserunners in that span.

Now, the Tigers will prepare to hit the road for a big-time matchup on the road between top 10 teams as it draws Florida for a weekend series that begins Saturday.

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LSU softball pulls away late to complete sweep over Texas A&M

LSU earns a much-needed sweep over a top-15 opponent.

In all three games this weekend, the LSU softball team had to mount a late comeback. But for the third time, the Tigers emerged unscathed in Saturday’s Game 3 as a huge sixth inning led to a 9-3 win over Texas A&M as coach Beth Torina’s team completed a much-needed weekend sweep against a top-15 team.

After two quiet innings, the Aggies quickly loaded the bases with just one out in the third. [autotag]Raelin Chaffin[/autotag] almost got out of the jam, but she allowed a triple that brought three runs home and gave Texas A&M the early lead.

After hitting the next batter, she was quickly taken out of the game. LSU was able to take a chunk out of that lead in the third, though, as a two-RBI single from [autotag]Raeleen Gutierrez[/autotag] cut the Aggies lead to just a run.

LSU ultimately entered the bottom of the sixth still trailing and with quite a bit of ground to make up. It did just that, leading off the frame with three straight singles including one from [autotag]Maci Bergeron[/autotag] that drove in a game-tying run.

The Tigers weren’t done, though. Texas A&M loaded up the bases, and Ali Newland came through with a grand slam to seize control of the game instantaneously.

LSU would add two more insurance runs to really put things out of reach as it capitalized on a fielding error and a bases-loaded walk.

The Tigers will return to the field at home on Tuesday night for a game against ULM before it hits the road for a top-10 matchup against Florida.

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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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Instant Analysis: LSU softball drops series to Ole Miss with blowout loss on Monday night

The Tigers entered the weekend as the nation’s lone unbeaten, but now they’ll have to bounce back from a series loss.

LSU was riding high coming into this weekend’s home-opening SEC series against Ole Miss after earning a sweep to begin SEC play last weekend.

The Tigers were 23-0 on the year and took Game 1 against the Rebels, but Games 2 and 3 went south. With a blowout 9-2 loss on Monday night, they dropped their first SEC series of the season and fell to 24-2 (4-2 SEC) on the year.

It was Ole Miss’ first series win in Baton Rouge since 2008.

Starting pitcher [autotag]Raelin Chaffin[/autotag] looked like she was going to get through the first two innings without allowing any damage, but with two outs in the second, she gave up a run of five straight singles.

Three runs scored, and Chaffin was yanked from the game in favor of [autotag]Kelley Lynch[/autotag]. After getting out of the second, Lynch gave up a solo shot in the third as Ole Miss jumped out to a 4-0 lead.

LSU would cut that deficit in half as [autotag]Taylor Pleasants[/autotag] hit a solo homer of her own in the bottom of the frame, and [autotag]McKenzie Redoutey[/autotag] scored on a wild pitch in the fourth.

However, LSU got into trouble again in the fifth when Lynch loaded up the bases. She allowed a run to score on a fielder’s choice, and after a walk reloaded the bases, a single scored another run.

The Tigers pulled her for [autotag]Sydney Berzon[/autotag], who immediately gave up a two-RBI single as Ole Miss stretched its lead to 8-2. In the sixth, it added another run off a single.

LSU couldn’t get a rally going in the seventh as it went down in order.

The Tigers will have some time off to lick their wounds before returning to the field next weekend for another road SEC series against Missouri.

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Instant Analysis: LSU softball, nation’s last unbeaten team, competes sweep over Kentucky in SEC opening weekend

LSU moves to 21-0 on the season after getting a road sweep against the Wildcats this weekend to open SEC play.

The LSU softball team entered the first weekend of SEC as the last undefeated squad in Division I. Following a road trip to Lexington against a ranked Kentucky team, things are staying that way.

The Tigers completed a sweep against the Wildcats with an 8-3 win in Game 3 on Sunday, moving to 21-0 on the year one with the first SEC series in the books.

After two scoreless innings to start the game, LSU struck first with a pair of RBI singles in the third from [autotag]McKenzie Redoutey[/autotag] and [autotag]Maci Bergeron[/autotag] to take a 2-0 lead.

Kentucky tied the game with a two-run double in the fourth that chased starter [autotag]Raelin Chaffin[/autotag] from the game, but LSU would break things wide open in the sixth inning. An [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag] double scored a pair of runs, and the Tigers would add another on a bases-loaded walk.

UK opted for a pitching change, but that wouldn’t fix things. Redoutey hit a sac-fly, and [autotag]Karli Petty[/autotag] and [autotag]Kelley Lynch[/autotag] added RBI singles to put up a six-spot in the inning.

Kentucky hit a one-run homer in the bottom of the frame but still faced a wide gap entering the final inning. It managed a pair of base hits in that frame, but it didn’t amount to any runs.

[autotag]Sydney Berzon[/autotag] entered the game in the fourth and ultimately pitched the last 3.1, allowing five hits but just one earned run while striking out four.

The Tigers will be back in action on Tuesday night for a midweek game against Texas before hosting Ole Miss next weekend for the home opener conference series.

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Instant Analysis: Ali Newland’s 7th-inning heroics lift LSU softball to series win over Kentucky

LSU moves to 21-0 and remains the last unbeaten softball team in Division I.

The LSU softball team found itself in another dogfight in Saturday’s Game 2 against Kentucky, but some more late-game magic allowed the Tigers to remain unbeaten on the season with a series-clinching 4-3 win.

LSU got going early on offense, with [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag] and [autotag]Raeleen Gutierrez[/autotag] both hitting RBI singles to give it a 2-0 lead. Kentucky would answer, however, with a run in the bottom of the frame.

The Wildcats would later tie it in the third with a homer off [autotag]Kelley Lynch[/autotag]. The game then remained deadlocked until the sixth inning, when [autotag]Maci Bergeron[/autotag] hit an RBI single to retake the lead, but that wouldn’t last long.

Lynch allowed a double to lead off the bottom of the frame, and a throwing error allowed an unearned run to cross and tie the game once again.

Newland gave the Tigers another lead, however, in the form of an RBI single in the seventh. In the bottom of the frame, [autotag]Raelin Chaffin[/autotag] allowed a walk, but there were no other incidents as she closed things out.

LSU, now 21-0 on the season, will be back in action on Sunday as it looks for a sweep. Game 3 in Lexington is set for 11 a.m. CT.

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LSU softball rallies in 6th to beat Illinois, stay unbeaten

The Tigers overcame a late deficit to remain perfect on the season.

The LSU softball team found itself in danger once again on Friday night to begin the Purple & Gold Invitational against Illinois, but some sixth-inning heroics from [autotag]Ali Newland[/autotag] lifted the Tigers to a 3-2 win as they remain unbeaten at 14-0 on the season.

After two shutout innings, LSU got the scoring started with an RBI bunt single from Ciara Briggs, but Illinois answered in the top of the fourth, scoring a pair of runs quickly to retake the lead and chase [autotag]Emilee Casanova[/autotag] from the game in the process.

[autotag]Raelin Chaffin[/autotag] came into the game and pitched a shutout the rest of the way, but LSU still needed to make up a run.

Newland came through in the bottom of the sixth, hitting an RBI single to tie the game, and a sac-bunt from [autotag]McKenzie Redoutey[/autotag] gave LSU the lead. Chaffin went 1-2-3 in the seventh to put the game away.

The Tigers will be back in action later Friday night for the second leg of the doubleheader with a game against San Diego State.

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