The No. 11 LSU softball team faced No. 12 Missouri’s Chelsea Thomas and Nicole Hudson on the wrong weekend.
Thomas tossed a complete game Sunday, and three-hole hitter Hudson launched two home runs to drive in all of Missouri’s runs in a 3-2 victory to hand LSU its first Southeastern Conference series loss this season.
Sunday’s win for Missouri (26-7, 11-6 SEC) came after Thomas pitched a complete game for a win in game one of the series Friday. LSU (37-11, 12-6 SEC) was little match for the senior ace, as she twice out-dueled LSU pitcher Rachele Fico.
Fico pitched much better Sunday than she did Friday when she allowed six runs with three earned on nine Missouri hits. The second time out, she allowed six hits with five strikeouts and essentially shut down Missouri’s lineup except for one hitter — Hudson.
Hudson took Fico out of the park for a two-run home run in the top of the third inning, which vaulted Missouri ahead of LSU, 2-1. In the top of the fifth, she smashed a soaring solo home run off the right field scoreboard to push Missouri’s lead to 3-1.
LSU scratched home a run in the bottom of the fifth, but Thomas proceeded to slam the door on any hope of an LSU comeback, retiring the final eight hitters to finish off her complete-game effort.
“[Thomas] definitely made adjustments when we made adjustments,” said LSU freshman shortstop Bianka Bell, who was the only player with multiple hits on Thomas and drove in LSU’s first run with an RBI single in the first inning.
“When we started swinging at the low pitches, she started bringing it up in the zone and we just couldn’t adjust with her,” Bell said.
Fico didn’t light up the scoreboard with strikeouts as she has been keen to do this season, but her outing was nonetheless solid, excluding two pitches to Hudson.
In Friday and Sunday’s losses, the LSU lineup provided Fico virtually no cushion with a combined three runs of support in her two starts.
Regardless of the run support she received, Fico said the most frustrating thing is getting beaten by essentially one hitter.
“It’s always hard to swallow when the same kid beats you twice,” Fico said. “… When someone is good like that, you can’t take anything away from them. [Hudson] is a great player, and she was just on today.”
LSU doesn’t have a midweek game this week, but it will begin its final home series of the season against No. 4 Alabama on Thursday.
The Tigers sit tied with Alabama for first in the SEC West standings despite dropping their first conference series of the season to Missouri. This weekend’s matchup against the Crimson Tide could decide who takes the SEC West crown.
“We’re still in the driver’s seat,” said LSU coach Beth Torina. “We still can win the series with Alabama and be in a good spot in the SEC, and I think we just have to rebound from this and prepare really well for Alabama.”
