BATON ROUGE — Despite allowing only two hits, the seventh-ranked LSU softball team stranded nine runners on base and could not overcome an unearned run by Stephen F. Austin, falling to the Ladyjacks, 1-0, on the final day of the Tiger Classic on Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers fell to 3-2 for the tournament and the season, while Stephen F. Austin finished the tournament at 2-4 and 4-6 for the season. Tournament champion DePaul finished undefeated at 5-0 for the tournament and the year.
Baylor went 0-5 before defeating Stephen F. Austin in the final game of the day to finish 1-5 for the tournament.
“We were real passive at the plate,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard said after the game. “We let a lot of chances pass us bye. We’re just not getting the prime time hits.
“I am also disappointed in our defense,” Girouard continued. “Defense was part of this team that I thought would be one of our strengths coming into the season, but we struggled at times in the field this weekend.”
For the efforts, LSU’s Julie Wiese and Blair Smith were named to the all-tournament team. Wiese hit .308 with three RBIs and two doubles, while Smith led the Tigers at .333 with a double and two runs scored.
Against Stephen F. Austin, Schmidt (1-2) got the loss, despite allowing only one unearned run on two hits while striking out seven. All-tournament selection Crissy Autry (3-4) earned the win for Stephen F. Austin, allowing four hits and four walks in five and a third innings.
With one out in the bottom of the second inning, Carrie Woydziak was able to reach first base after striking out due to a wild pitch by Schmidt. She advanced to second on a single by Meryl McGuire. On a sacrifice bunt by Brooke Chandler, Woydziak advanced to third and scored on a throwing error by Tiger second baseman Sara Fitzgerald, giving Stephen F. Austin the only run it would need.
“It’s a goofy game sometimes,” Girouard said about the Stephen F. Austin run. “What else can you say. A player who struck out and should not have been on base ends up scoring the run that beats you on an error.”
LSU left a pair of runners on first and second in both the second and third innings. The Tigers had their best scoring opportunity in the sixth inning when Alicia Owen recorded her first collegiate double with one out. A walk by Smith put runners on first and second with no outs, but an infield popout and a fielder’s choice ended the Tiger threat.
LSU now travels to Las Vegas, Nev., for the UNLV Softball Classic. The Tigers take on No. 1-ranked UCLA on Friday at 10:30 a.m. CT before facing off with No. 10 Cal State Fullerton at 12:30 p.m. CT. On Saturday, LSU plays Cal Poly at 10 a.m. CT and Utah at 5:30 p.m. CT. The Tigers will end the tournament against Central Michigan at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
All-Tournament Team
Crissy Autry, Stephen F. Austin
Sarah Douglas, DePaul
Christa Hargrove, Stephen F. Austin
Katy Kukman, DePaul
Kelly Levesque, Baylor
Sarah Martz, DePaul
Blair Smith, LSU
Julie Wiese, LSU
Tournament MVP – Lindsay Chouinard, DePaul
Game 9 (#1 vs. #4)
Baylor (6-5) 0
#11 DePaul (5-0) 7
Box Score
BATON ROUGE — Top-seeded and 11th-ranked DePaul won the right to play in the Tiger Classic Championship game by virtue of a 7-0 victory over Baylor in Sunday morning’s bracket play. Although the undefeated Blue Demons will not be able to play in the 2 p.m. championship due to travel restrictions, they were declared champions of the four-team tournament.
DePaul (5-0) finished the Tiger Classic without a loss, outscoring its opponents 10-1. Baylor (6-5), which entered the weekend 6-0, did not win a game in the 2003 classic, being outscored 17-3.
Lindsay Chouinard (3-0) continued to dominate in the circle for the Lady Demons, throwing a one-hit shutout with four strikeouts and three walks.
Offensively, catcher Gina Ramacci was 3-for-3 with two runs and four RBI including a three-run homer in the fifth that game DePaul its final runs. Outfielder Sarah Martz also picked up three hits with a run scored. Sarah Douglas drove in DePaul’s first two runs with a one-out, two-RBI single in the first inning.
The Lady Bears used four pitchers, with starter Katie Decker (1-2) receiving the loss after only 2 1/3 innings of work. She allowed two runs on five hits and walked one batter. Joni Miller was the first reliever, giving up two runs on two hits in one inning of work. Cristin Vitek allowed three unearned runs on three hits with a walk and three K’s. Sarah Caudle got the final four outs, allowing two hits.
Baylor will face the winner of LSU and Stephen F. Austin at 2 p.m., however, as rain moves into the Baton Rouge area, this game may not be played.
Game 10 (#2 vs. #3)
Stephen F. Austin (4-5) 1
#7 LSU (3-2) 0
Box Score
Game 11
Baylor (7-5) 8
Stephen F. Austin (4-6) 0
Box Score