An enormous two-run home run gave LSU softball the firepower it needed to even its series against No.3 Oklahoma in a 3-1 victory Saturday.
After dropping the opener Friday in a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in extra innings, the Tigers knew they needed to even the series on Saturday.
“It’s heartbreaking, but I know tomorrow we’re prepared and ready,” Cece Cellura said after Friday night’s loss.
With the Tigers being swept in the series last season by the Sooners, there was clear motivation heading into the early morning second game. This game was the Tigers’ first win over the Sooners since a 10-2 run-rule victory in 2015.
Jayden Heavener started on the mound this time around after Cellura earned the Friday night start in Heavener’s usual spot. Heavener came in to relieve Cellura in the series opener and was charged with the loss.
Unlike the night before, Heavener picked up a win and advanced her record in the circle to 8-7 this season. She struck out four batters, only allowing one run on two hits and two walks, with two hit batters.
“Jayden Heavener gave us a great game today,” head coach Beth Torina said. “I knew in the research that [Oklahoma] hadn’t seen an arm like hers this season. I thought she was great and executed the plan beautifully.”
Heavener’s first two batters went down quickly with a swinging strikeout and a pop-up, but the next few gave her some trouble. Heavener hit Ella Parker with a pitch and walked Gabbie Garcia to get the Sooners on base. Fortunately for the sophomore, a pop-up to first ended the inning clean.
For the Sooners, freshman Allyssa Parker began in the circle and walked Jalia Lassiter to get the first Tiger on base in the bottom of the first inning. The freshman walked Sierra Daniel in the next at-bat, then a groundout to short by Tori Edwards advanced both runners, before an Alix Franklin sacrifice fly out allowed Lassiter to come home and score the first run of the ballgame.
A frustrating call by the umpire in the second impacted the game early on, maybe providing the motivation that the Tigers needed to get the win.
With third baseman Ally Hutchins at the plate, a ball was dropped by the Sooners’ catcher, but the play was ruled as an out with a tag on Hutchins, and the Sooners left the field. Despite the hesitant – and very late – call, the entire LSU dugout waved Harris and Hutchins around the bases before a heated Beth Torina came out to talk about the call, but was unsuccessful.
The third inning was quiet for both teams, with the Sooners’ and Tigers’ defense locking down every pitch that was hit.
Franklin got the bats started again in the fourth with a leadoff single through center. In the next at-bat on the very first pitch, Kylee Edwards clobbered a no-doubter. A two-run home run from Edwards advanced the Tigers’ lead to three.
A familiar face for Tiger fans stepped on the mound after Edwards’ home run. Sydney Berzon, a former Tiger ace, came on to relieve Allyssa Parker with zero outs in the inning. Berzon faced Lorenz, Bergeron and Harris, making quick work of all three with help from her outfield.
Kai Minor got the Sooners’ first hit of the game in the fifth on a single to left center. Then, Heavener hit Allyssa Parker with a pitch to advance the runners, and Abby Dayton hit a ball up the middle that Lassiter dropped, but still recorded an out at third on Minor.
The last out came when Kasidi Pickering flew out to right to give the Tigers some relief and end the inning scoreless.
Heavener locked down the top of the Sooners’ order in the last two innings of the game, even with some trouble. The seventh started off strong for the sophomore, after a fielding error by Avery Hodge, who came in for Hutchins at third, allowed Minor to score and prevent the shutout victory for the Tigers.
Nonetheless, a swinging strikeout and a groundout ended the inning with a huge Tigers victory to snap a four-game losing streak against Oklahoma. The Tigers now improve to 23-11 and 4-7 in conference play.
“We have to continue to be aggressive and set the tone early,” Torina said about the offensive outcome of the win. “They don’t play from behind very often, so it was a different feeling for them.”
The final game of the series continues tomorrow with another 11 a.m. CT first pitch at Tiger Park.
