After claiming a victory once on Saturday and once on Sunday afternoon, the No. 10 LSU softball team entered its third-straight elimination game against No. 3 Oklahoma at the Women’s College World Series Sunday evening.  

They couldn’t win a third.

The Sooners (55-7) defeated the Tigers (52-18) 7-3, ending LSU’s 2016 campaign. Fielding errors and uncharacteristically poor pitching put the Tigers in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.

LSU sophomore pitcher Allie Walljasper started the game in the circle, but was chased from the contest in favor of freshman Sydney Smith, after only 2.1 innings. She gave up five hits and allowed three runs to cross the plate.

Fielding issues hadn’t hurt the Tigers recently, but were to be an area of improvement earlier in the season.

Only one of the three runs that crossed under Walljasper’s watch was earned. Four errors in the first three innings allowed the Sooners to open up the game.

Despite Walljasper’s struggles, the Tigers entered the fourth inning and tied three runs, thanks to LSU designated player Sahvanna Jaquish. With runners on the corners, Jaquish belted a 1-2 pitch over the left field wall for a three-run home run.

Smith’s tenure in the circle began well, but was ultimately shorter than Walljasper’s. After 1.0 inning, sophomore Carley Hoover replaced Smith, who gave up three runs to put Oklahoma back on top.

Hoover stepped up and did enough to keep her team in the game, but the LSU offense wouldn’t produce to overcome the earlier pitching woes.  

In the final four frames, the Tiger offense recorded only two hits, while not plating another run.
LSU’s season comes to an end in the WCWS semifinal round for the second straight year. Oklahoma advances to the WCWS Championship Series and will battle Auburn for the National Title.