Silent bats and cold spots put LSU softball away as it lost the series to South Carolina on Sunday.
After a big win for the Tigers in game one on Friday, the Gamecocks swept the Sunday doubleheader to take the series.
Game 3 had a similar scoring pattern as Game 2, especially in the early innings. South Carolina scored in the first inning on no hits, and LSU went down in the bottom of the first inning in order.
Not everything was the same though. The Tigers scored earlier in this game. Savanna Bedell had an RBI groundout in the second inning to cut the Gamecock lead in half.
Lefty flamethrower Jayden Heavener got the start in the circle for the Tigers in game three. She continued why she is the best match with Sydney Berzon in the circle, getting the Gamecocks with her speed.
Heavener’s tendency to walk batters came into play on Sunday as well. Through 2.1 innings pitched, she walked, hit or struck out all of them. Her tendency to walk several batters can and has gotten her into trouble in the past. Game 3 was no exception.
The SEC is deadly, and all around teams are needed to hang. Both Berzon and Heavener struggled with free passes on Sunday, and proved they could pitch with traffic. The bats were a bit quiet for this Tiger’s team, and defense fell short at times.
Despite South Carolina taking the series in Game 3, there were some moments that made it a questionable win. Only Game 1 on Friday was pretty. Nonetheless, this Tigers team stays resilient and scrappy.
Luckily for LSU, when Heavener found her groove, she was outright dominant. She might have made the mistakes to allow two runs, but she kept the Tigers in this ballgame as it continued.
South Carolina never put up crooked numbers, and that’s difficult in the SEC.
Redshirt senior Danieca Coffey said that hitting coach Bryce Neal has focused on keeping the mindset the same each day, and this is the first time the Bayou Bengals have struggled in that area.
Coffey said that Neal has focused on making sure the week one mentality stays through the season. The pitch selection has been iffy on Sunday.
LSU continued to show its resilience by turning to their speed late in the game to keep it alive.
Jayden Laneaux bunted for a base hit in the bottom of the fifth inning to get something started for the Tigers, but nothing came of it with another scoreless inning.
The later in the game, the more South Carolina put pressure on LSU. They tallied another insurance run in the sixth inning.
The Gamecocks just came out with more energy, and got the breaks the Tigers have had throughout the season.
LSU seemed cold as the game went on. The same energy from the first part of the season has been missing, but they didn’t give up.
Even in the seventh inning and down to their last out, they continued to threaten the Gamecocks.
South Carolina took the series with a 4-1 win over the Tigers.
