In the final game of a highly anticipated series, LSU softball’s pitching just couldn’t hold down No. 3 Oklahoma, suffering an 8-4 loss on Sunday and dropping the series.
The Tigers’ bullpen, which had been phenomenal all weekend despite a loss to open the series, just couldn’t shut down a fierce Oklahoma offense. A massive four-run first and fifth inning for the No. 3 team haunted the Tigers’ mound.
Junior LSU pitcher Cece Cellura started her second game of the series in the circle but immediately looked unlike herself as she got into a pitching jam early that she couldn’t find her way out of.
Cellura’s pitch count only reached 11 in this game.
Kai Minor started the Sooners’ hitting on the third pitch Cellura threw with a leadoff double. Sooners’ freshman catcher Kendall Wells clobbered her first pitch from the junior pitcher to knock in a two-run home run for Oklahoma and get on the board.
The onslaught only continued for Oklahoma from there, a team clearly ready for revenge after the Tigers handed the program its first conference loss of the season Saturday.
Gabbie Garcia drove in her 16th home run of the year to advance the Sooners’ lead to three. LSU head coach Beth Torina decided to relieve Cellura’s day very early with Jayden Heavener.
Heavener found herself in trouble, too.
She hit Isabela Emerling with a pitch before Abby Agbayani singled up the middle, which allowed Emerling to round the bases and score. Heavener hit Sydney Barker with a pitch as well, but a final foul-out to third ended the lengthy inning with four Sooner runs.
In addition to Oklahoma’s offensive power, the pitching efforts stood solid.
Sophomore right-hander Miali Guachino started in Game 3, facing Jalia Lassiter, a known leadoff threat. Guachino recorded huge strikeouts on Lassiter, Tori Edwards and Alix Franklin, leaving the Tigers scoreless.
Kylee Edwards changed that in the second inning to put the Tigers on the board.
Edwards just got under a rise ball from Guachino for her second home run of the weekend, her first being a two-run bomb on Saturday that aided in LSU’s win. On the very next pitch, Char Lorenz hit her own home run. Both she and Edwards recorded their fifth home runs of the season back to back.
Daniel and Edwards had themselves a busy day on defense at first and second against the Sooners. LSU used its challenges wisely to overturn two safe calls at first and ensure one less Sooner reached base as it aimed for a comeback.
“I think it’s Sunday in the SEC, you know it’s gonna be all bets off,” Torina said to ESPN about her team’s ability to come back from a 4-0 setback. “You’ve got to throw everything you’ve got at them. You know it’s going to be a fight no matter who you’re playing. They call us the ‘Fighting Tigers,’ that’s what we came to do.”
A rocky fifth inning for Heavener drove a gap in the Tigers’ comeback effort with only one out. Emerling hit her 12th home run of the season on a 69 mph pitch to drive in three runs for Oklahoma, now up 7-2. Ella Parker hit her own solo shot to add another run to the Sooners’ lead in the sixth.
In retaliation at the bottom of the inning, Edwards hit her second ball out of Tiger Park on the day to cut the Sooners’ lead back down to five. The rest of the inning was quiet as Guachino induced two strikeouts on Lorenz and Maci Bergeron before a groundout moved the ballgame into the seventh.
Former Sooner Paytn Monticelli received a loud standing ovation from Tiger fans as she came in to shut down the final inning and relieve Heavener. She forced two quick outs before her third and final batter stepped into the box.
Monticelli struck out Lexi McDaniel swinging to record the final out, fired up as she headed off the field, and the Tigers received one more chance to come back.
Two aboard and only one out in the seventh gave LSU the hope that it had looked for all game. Guachino walked Lassiter, and Daniel singled with Tori Edwards up at the plate. Edwards struck out for the fourth time in the game, but Franklin singled up the middle to cut Oklahoma’s lead to four.
The game came down to one final out and a full count for Kylee Edwards. After fighting numerous fouls, Edwards hit a ball to the right that curved away from Ella Parker, but to the Tigers’ disadvantage, the Sooners’ right fielder was fast enough to make the grab.
Guachino finished a complete ballgame, striking out 11 Tiger batters in her win. She only allowed four runs on seven hits to earn her 10th win of the season after earning her ninth in Game 1 of the series.
The Tigers now sit at 23-12 overall and fall 4-8 in conference play, but they’ll receive a much-needed break before traveling to Columbia, Missouri, to take on Mizzou in a series that begins on April 2.
