No. 19 LSU softball recorded a clean sweep over Auburn in its final series of the regular season in a series that consisted of two shutout victories and a run-rule.
After weather postponed Friday’s game versus the fellow Tigers, LSU took on Auburn in a doubleheader Saturday to wrap up its final conference series before post-season play. In Game 2, the first up on the day, the Tigers broke numerous records in a run-rule shutout.
LSU’s aggressive offense overpowered Auburn in a 25-0 ballgame, the most runs the program has ever scored against an SEC opponent in history and the second-most runs scored in program history.
Concluding the game, every single LSU Tiger in the batting order recorded a hit to contribute to the massive win, totaling 24 hits before the final inning.
All four of LSU’s seniors had huge moments during the senior weekend. Catcher Maci Bergeron, centerfielder Jalia Lassiter, third baseman Avery Hodge and pitcher Paytn Monticelli were honored.
Bergeron, who has been in a bit of a slump this season, went 4-for-7 across both Saturday games, contributing four RBIs.
Lassiter immediately led off the offense to reach base with a single in the first inning of Game 2. She went on to go 4-for-5 in the game with three RBIs. The first inning for LSU alone scored eight runs on nine hits.
Sophomore Jayden Heavener was in the circle for the first game of the day, picking up her 12th win of the season. Heavener recorded five strikeouts and only allowed three hits in her five innings pitched.
After a quiet second inning, LSU went on to score seven more runs in the third inning with another single from Lassiter leading off the offense. Right fielder Alix Franklin was the star of this inning, however, driving in the first grand slam of the season for the Tigers and advancing their lead in the game even further.
The base hits and RBIs only continued. Shortly after Franklin, sophomore catcher Jada Phillips recorded her first career home run.
A 10-run breakout occurred in the fourth inning to only extend LSU’s egregious lead over Auburn. The scoring in the inning came off of RBIs that went as follows: Franklin singled, Tori Edwards doubled, Maci Bergeron singled, Maddox McKee singled, Avery Hodge singled, Lassiter doubled and Rylie Johnson doubled.
While Game 3 of the series wouldn’t be a shutout to continue the weekend streak, it was one last chance for the Tigers to shine ahead of the post-season nonetheless.
In the final game of LSU’s regular season, junior Cece Cellura started in the circle. Cellura gave up the only two runs that Auburn scored, both being by centerfielder Ma’Nia Womack. Womack got Auburn on the board for the first time the entire series in the second inning with a solo home run out to right, and then did it once more in the seventh inning.
Despite the two runs, Cellura picked up the win in a complete game pitched. Cellura recorded seven strikeouts, only walking one and allowing five hits.
But the Tigers’ offense continued on with their weekend. Hodge recorded a two-run single to drive in two more for LSU and extend its lead to 4-1 in the fourth. Kylee Edwards then doubled in the fifth to drive in another run for the Tigers and Tori Edwards immediately hit a single right after to keep LSU’s scoring going. Bergeron was the final Tiger to drive in a run with an RBI double before the contest ended with a 7-2 LSU victory.
LSU now moves to 37-16 overall and 13-11 in conference play to end the regular season on a five-game win streak. The Tigers’ next game will come when they travel to Lexington, Kentucky, to take on Georgia in the second round of the post-season SEC Tournament.
