LSU softball faced fifth-inning drama in the series sweep versus UL-Lafayette.
The Tigers won Game 1 in a run-rule victory, but Game 2 was much closer. The Cajuns had a chip on their shoulder.
The first three innings were the beginning of a pitchers’ duel. Ashley Vallejo got the start in the circle for LSU and held her own well until ULL created a two-out jam in the third.
Vallejo was pulled after Emily Smith hit a three-run triple for the Cajuns in that same inning.
The Tigers continued to do what they did well, and the fire was lit under them at a lost lead. In the fourth inning, LSU responded with six runs of its own, highlighted by a two-run blast by Avery Hodge.
ULL assistant coach Lacy Prejean was ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the same half-inning where the Tigers’ scoring occurred.
Immediately following the affair, McKaela Walker was given an automatic strike for violating the pitch clock and was then hit with a pitch to provide her with an RBI.
To add to the oddities, this is the second of three games where LSU played in a pitchers’ duel turned barn burner.
Vallejo was relieved by Jayden Heavener after her one-hit performance against the Cajuns in Game 1. She got it done in the circle, shutting ULL down like before. Vallejo tallied six strikeouts on two hits through 4.1 innings.
Tigers head coach Beth Torina has mentioned confidence is a big part of Heavener’s game, and if that has waned in SEC play, Game 2 versus the Cajuns has given her all the boost she needs.
As most pitchers do, Heavener pitches better with a lead, and after she came back out in the fifth, it was nothing but LSU for the rest of the game, score-wise. The fifth-inning drama was exemplified by the Tigers, who added five runs during the dramatic inning.
The LSU softball motto has been “can’t beat crazy” since 2016, and tonight’s game has shown that the Bayou Bengals love crazy games. The sheer number of high-run thrillers this season has proven it, and Game 2 versus ULL pushes the sentiment further.
The crazier the energy in the stadium, the better the Tigers react.
The high-scoring middle innings didn’t leave the Cajuns rolling over. Even after LSU took a seven-run lead, ULL threatened by getting runners on base in the remaining innings.
Despite the threats, the Cajuns never scored again. The Tigers took the game 11-4 in seven innings.
LSU looks to keep the same energy with the bats going into another SEC series versus South Carolina at Tiger Park on Friday evening.
