No. 6 LSU softball was silenced for the first time on Thursday against Cal State Fullerton.
The Tigers couldn’t hold on to an early 2-0 lead after a big win against UCLA. Any momentum they gained was quickly switched back to the Titans.
Fullerton beat LSU at its own game. Although it only totaled four hits through seven innings, it ran the bases efficiently, scoring two runs that way.
It’s not to say the Tigers didn’t show their fight. In the sixth inning, they pulled out three runs without the ball leaving the infield and loaded the bases in the seventh.
Freshman Jayden Heavener started for LSU but was pulled in the second inning due to costly walks and being hit by pitches. Redshirt Junior Tatum Clopton came in in relief but gave up four runs of her own to make the hole deeper.
These scrappy clubs made a good showing, making the other team make costly errors and capitalizing on them.
It was costly that the Tigers couldn’t find their groove. The best teams get it done on all sides of the ball, and LSU did just that in the bottom of the sixth inning. Clopton continued to carry the energy back to the Tiger dugout by striking out the side.
Despite the late run in the game and the LSU finding the bases loaded with one out in the seventh inning, they couldn’t hold on. Jaila Lassiter got the backward K to end the game for the Tigers’ first loss of the season.
LSU showed their fight, but there wasn’t enough gas in the tank. This young Tigers team experienced its first growing pains this season.
LSU head coach Beth Torina said that this team is going to play better later in the season as they start to come together. The greatest coaches in diamond sports say it’s not how you start but how you finish.
“I think they need some experience,” Torina said. “You’re going to see more growth out of this team than some of the teams in the past.”
Torina’s words could hold true, and getting kicked in the teeth early could be good. She also said she wants to toughen this team, and taking costly losses against unexpected opponents is a good route to take.
In the SEC, anything can happen any day. The Tigers’ learning that anything can happen early will help them in the future. Growing pains are expected, said Torina, and they will grow together throughout the season.
After beating UCLA earlier in the day, this young LSU team showed they can compete with the best. But as all young teams need to do, they need to find what works best for them.
The speed game got it done for the five runs they tallied, but silence from key players proved costly in the run they couldn’t scratch across.
Despite their scrappy effort, the Titans topped the Tigers 6-5 through seven innings.
LSU hopes to show its resilience in game three of the Judi Garman Classic against Utah on Friday.
