LSU softball scraped by to keep its season alive in the NCAA Regionals as it overcame UConn in a low-scoring affair.
The strike zone was tight for both teams, leading to multiple walks and both pitchers pitching with traffic. The Tigers did all the scoring in the 3-0 victory.
Despite this, sophomore pitcher Sydney Berzon and the rest of the LSU team prevented any UConn runner from even getting past second base. This game marked the first time the Huskies had been shut out all season.
Both offenses didn’t convert opportunities, with LSU stranding 14 runners on base and UConn stranding six.
The Tigers were patient and put the ball in play when they were given a good pitch. They even loaded the bases three times throughout the seven-inning ballgame, but it was pushing runs across that the purple and gold struggled to accomplish.
Defense picked up the slack that the two offenses lacked. LSU turned two double plays to avoid threats, and UConn made a diving play to keep runs from scoring.
Junior Avery Hodge led the Tigers in defensive greatness on Saturday. She made several snags where she had to throw on the run throughout the game. Hodge looked like the two-time national champion she is, showing postseason poise.
After the 2024 season, LSU knew they were going to need someone that was capable of filling the big shoes former shortstop Taylor Pleasants left behind. Picking up Hodge from Oklahoma has proven to be huge for the purple and gold.
Before the season began, head coach Beth Torina said that Hodge is phenomenal, but she would play the position differently than what fans saw from Pleasants the previous four years.
Plays like she made against UConn on Saturday are routine for Hodge, and it has led to her being a firestarter for the Tigers’ defense. These plays have made it easy for the purple and gold to grab the bats, and it proved helpful during the victory.
Danieca Coffey led the team offensively and made working around the middle of the lineup difficult. Most teams hope to focus their defensive efforts on the Smash Sisters, junior Maci Bergeron and sophomore Tori Edwards. When Coffey does her job of getting on base, it makes it even more difficult to work around the duo.
Coffey’s approach at the plate has a big part of why she’s so solid for LSU at the top of the lineup.
“I want to do damage, and I want people to be afraid to leave the ball over the plate,” Coffey said. “You’re gonna be afraid of me when I step in this box.”
Coffey and Hodge were significant in the Tigers’ effort to keep their season alive.
The Tigers again fight to avoid elimination against Southeastern Louisiana at 6 p.m. The Lions defeated LSU 4-3 on Friday.
