An in-the-park grand slam for sophomore Tori Edwards would be the turning point as No. 17 LSU softball defeated Ole Miss 6-4 on Friday night to open the weekend.
A five-run sixth inning was the comeback effort the Tigers needed to come out on top of the Rebels in a late-game victory. After the second inning, the Tigers had trailed by three until the sixth.
“I think we executed the game plan beautifully,” head coach Beth Torina said. “The game plan was to have some patience and to wait for that one big swing.”
Cece Cellura began in the circle for Game 1 and had a quick 1-2-3 inning to begin the game, but her night went downhill from there. Cellura concluded the night, only pitching four innings, giving up four runs on five hits and two walks during the time. She only recorded one strikeout on the night.
LSU senior catcher Maci Bergeron was again noticeably absent from her catching duties behind the plate to begin the series, after suffering some discomfort in the final game of the Tigers’ previous series versus Arizona. There’s been no update on her status.
Rebels’ senior catcher Emilee Boyer started the game in a jam that stretched out the bottom half of the first inning.
Kylee Edwards was the one to kickstart the offense, clobbering a no-doubter to left that would get LSU on the board with two away. This home run marks Edwards’ night of the season, tying her single-season career-high. The next three Tigers up to bat loaded the bases, beginning with cleanup Alix Franklin, but would all be left stranded on a groundout to end the inning.
The Rebels retaliated rather quickly to Edwards.
Right fielder Madi George took the first pitch she saw from Cellura out of the center of Tiger Park to tie the ballgame 1-1. Two more Rebels reached base afterward, but the Tigers were right under two flyouts to end the inning with only one run.
Cellura didn’t catch much of a break, however, even after locking down the following two innings. In the top of the fifth, the Rebels took Cellura out of the park one more time before her day was over.
First baseman Persy Llamas drove a pitch dead center out of Tiger Park to score two runs for Ole Miss and advance the Rebels 4-1. In the at-bat before, the Rebels plated one on a sacrifice groundout by second baseman Mackenzie Pickens. Paytn Monticelli stepped in the circle shortly after to get out of the jam.
A late sixth-inning single from Kylee Edwards with two away scored one for the Tigers, who now cut their deficit to two, with two runners still on base.
Tori Edwards changed things in the sixth.
With bases loaded, Tori Edwards hit a ball down the right field line that drove Daniel, Edwards and Franklin home to score three. Edwards didn’t stop once her teammates reached home plate, however. The sophomore captain hustled around the corner of third, and there was no doubt she would reach home safely.
“It was awesome,” Edwards said. “In that moment, I wanted so badly to produce for this team. I knew it was coming. I knew it was my turn to get it done.”
Even though the Tigers took the lead, Monticelli still found herself in trouble to begin the seventh. The top of the order both reached base on singles before Jayden Heavener relieved the senior with hopes to record two final outs.
Heavener’s first batter went down swinging. The Tigers needed one final out to pull off a huge comeback.
What did Heavener do? What she does best: one final strikeout looking.
The win over the Rebels had the crowd at Tiger Park on their feet the entire seventh inning until the very last pitch of the game.
“They did exactly what we asked them to do: we wanted them to flood the bases, be patient and still be aggressive on the right moments,” Torina said. “This is exactly how Ole Miss’ games play out.”
The next game of the series will continue Saturday at 5 p.m. CT.
