LSU softball fell for the first time in the NCAA Tournament on Friday as it surrendered to Alabama 7-0 in the Tuscaloosa Super Regional.
The purple and gold’s hot offense was stifled by the Crimson Tide’s Jocelyn Briski in Game 1 of the best-of-three series. The Tigers were limited to one hit in the contest after putting up 32 in their previous three.
The momentum and contagious hitting from the regional round just wasn’t there for LSU on Friday. The bats were ice cold, and that showed in the numbers for the night. Senior Jalia Lassiter had the sole hit of the night with a double to leadoff the game. The rest of the Tigers were victims of Briski, who retired 21 straight batters after Lassiter’s hit.
There were few baserunners in addition to the few hits. LSU has been its best when it’s been pesky to the opposing team. Speed has been the biggest asset to the team when the offense hasn’t shown up, and on Friday there weren’t any base runners aside from the double in the first inning.
However, LSU played solid defense, and despite the lopsided score, pitching wasn’t terrible either. Paytn Monticelli started in the circle for LSU but exited in the fourth inning after Alabama loaded the bases. In her 3.1 innings pitched, Monticelli gave up six runs on seven hits, and she stuck out and walked one batter.
Monticelli gave way to Cece Cellura to finish the game on the mound, but it didn’t matter what the Tigers did — the Crimson Tide powered through.
The hardest part of making it to the Women’s College World Series is playing in a tough opposing stadium, and that was another layer to the Tigers’ struggles on Friday.
The energy in Rhoads Stadium was immaculate, but it was much to the Tigers’ demise. The electric atmosphere was fueled entirely by Alabama fans, even silencing the LSU superfans in the stand.
The outrageous offense fed the crowd’s electricity, and that was what allowed Alabama to run away with the victory. The Crimson Tide has been solid all season because of the runs tallied on the scoreboard, and Friday was no exception. LSU will have to match that in Game 2 if it hopes to head back to the WCWS for the first time since 2017.
Additionally, the LSU pitching staff will also have to double down in the circle to try and stifle the Alabama bats in Game 2 for a chance at keeping the season alive. Everything must come together if the Tigers want to see Oklahoma City.
LSU will try to force the winner-take-all Game 3 of the Tuscaloosa Super Regional in Game 2 at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
