No. 17 LSU softball suffered its first loss at home, and fourth straight conference loss, against No. 16 Texas A&M. Despite a late comeback effort, the Tigers fell 7-2 on a breezy Saturday night at Tiger Park.
The Tigers headed into the matchup 0-3 in conference play but on a single-game win streak after defeating their in-state foe, Nicholls. Saturday night, Texas A&M’s defense kept the Tigers’ at-bats quiet for the majority of the game, but the Aggies’ offense is what aided in the No. 16 team’s victory over LSU.
Texas A&M’s first baseman Mya Perez has led her team’s offense all season thus far and continued to do so in Baton Rouge. Perez boasted a .464 batting average heading into the matchup with 32 hits, 30 RBIs and 10 home runs. In the first game of the series alone, Perez went 3-3 with one run, three hits, three RBIs and a walk.
Jayden Heavener started in the circle for LSU, boasting a 6-3 record and a 3.07 ERA. She led the Tigers’ pitching staff with 53 strikeouts. Heavener gave up five runs and four hits, recording only four strikeouts across her four innings pitched. Heavener picked up her fourth loss of the season when the matchup ended.
On the diamond for A&M, right-handed sophomore Sydney Lessentine led the Aggies with 48 strikeouts and a 2.46 ERA. Lessentine was able to keep the Tiger bats quiet for the four innings she pitched, only allowing one run and two hits.
The first inning began with A&M’s third baseman Kennedy Powell walking to reach base. Then, a fielder’s choice by Tigers’ shortstop Kylee Edwards – with the tag not being in time at third base after her throw – loaded the bases for the Aggies with only one away in the inning.
A sacrifice fly by Aggies’ shortstop KK Dement allowed Powell to score the first run of the game. Moments later, Heavener threw a wild pitch that moved runners to scoring position before she walked Kelsey Mathis to load the bases again. Luckily for Heavener, a final strikeout ended the inning with only one run and left the base runners stranded.
Walks were killing Heavener early in the game. In the third inning, Perez and catcher Ariel Kowalewski were walked to begin the inning before Kelsey Mathis hit an RBI single to drive in Annsley Groce, who was pinch running for Perez. A fly out to Char Lorenz ended the inning again with only one run against Heavener.
In the fourth, a sacrifice fly from Tallen Edwards to drive in Larisa Perez added another run to the Aggies’ lead. Another runner came home on a Mya Perez double to left center that was just out of reach of Lorenz. Kowalweski popped up to end the inning and give Heavener a little bit of relief, but not before the Aggies took a 4-0 lead over the Tigers.
Lessentine continued to keep the Tigers’ at-bats rather short in her half-innings with the Aggies’ defense behind her, that was, until Tori Edwards kick-started the offense for the Tigers in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single that knocked in Lorenz to cut the Aggies’ lead to three.
Dement retaliated, crushing a ball out of the park and giving the Aggies a 5-1 advantage to start the fifth. Heavener then walked Mathis before Torina made the decision to have freshman Cali Deal brought in to relieve her. Deal’s first three batters faced went down with three quick fly outs to the outfield to end the inning with only one run allowed.
To face the Tigers in the bottom half of the fifth, sophomore Kate Munnerlyn was brought in to relieve Lessentine’s night. No matter how hard the Tigers’ offense hit the ball, their efforts were ultimately cut short as the Aggies’ outfield was right under every pitch hit to them.
Mya Perez was the Tigers’ pitching staff’s worst nightmare all night. Perez knocked a ball from Deal straight to the student section bleachers for a two-run home run that gave the Aggies a 7-1 lead over LSU in the sixth.
For the first time in the entire two-hour and 20-minute game, the Aggies’ bottom of the order was quickly sent back to the dugout by LSU’s defense, giving the Tigers a chance to come back in the seventh, starting with Maci Bergeron.
Begeron popped up to third base to record the first out in what was the Tigers’ last chance to find a bit of firepower. Tori Edwards struck out swinging in the next at-bat, but Alix Franklin clobbered a ball to the wall past the glove of the Aggies’ left fielder to reach base.
Designated hitter Rylie Johnson was walked by Munnerlyn, two Tigers now on base. Then, Kylee Edwards singled to the shortstop to load the bases and get Tiger fans on their feet. The next at-bat, Avery Hodge was walked by Munnerlyn, and Franklin scored the Tigers’ second run with two away.
Junior Sidne Peters was brought in to relieve Munnerlyn with Jalia Lassiter at the plate in hopes of bidding a Tigers’ comeback with the bases still loaded. On a full count, Lassiter struck out looking to end the game. Peters recorded her first save of the year as the Tigers now sit at 18-8 following the loss.
The Tigers yet again look to pick up their first conference win and even the series against the Aggies in game two Sunday at 6 p.m. CT.
