AUSTIN, Texas — A pair of home runs in the fourth inning and one in the sixth lifted fourth-ranked Texas past LSU, 8-0, in six innings in the second round of the NCAA Regionals at McCombs Field on Friday afternoon.
With the loss, the Tigers fell to 50-17 on the season. LSU will now take on Arizona State in an elimination game at 8:30 p.m. Friday night. The Tigers lost the coin toss and will be the visiting team. Texas improves to 45-7 on the year.
Kristin Schmidt took the loss for the Tigers to drop to 34-14. She allowed four runs on six hits in three and two thirds innings. Tessa Lynam came on in relief in the fourth. She allowed four runs on seven hits in two innings.
Allowing only one infield single, Cat Osterman earned the complete-game win for Texas to improve to 28-4. She recorded her 16th complete-game shutout of the season with two walks and 12 strikeouts.
The six-inning run-rule loss marked just the fourth time the Tigers have been runs ruled in the program’s seven-year history. It was the first time since 1998 when No. 4 Washington defeated LSU, 9-0, in five innings in NCAA Regional action.
The Longhorns got a pair of home runs by Tamara Poppe and one by Lindsay Gardner that scored seven of the eight runs in the game. An RBI single by Alexis Garcia in the fifth knocked in the only other Texas run. For the game, Poppe went 4-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored, both on the home runs.
Texas led off the bottom of the first inning with a walk. With two outs, Wynter Turner singled to left field. As Lindsay Gardner rounded second, she took too large a lead off the bag and LaDonia Hughes threw her out going back to the base to end the inning.
In the bottom of the second, Texas got a leadoff single by Tamara Poppe. She advanced to third on consecutive infield groundouts before a third infield groundout stranded Poppe on third.
The Tigers broke up the perfect game in the top of the third inning as Blair Smith recorded a one-out infield single. After stealing second, she advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher. LSU was unable to push the run across, however, as Megann Steege and Hughes struck out to end the threat.
In the bottom of the fourth, Texas got on the board first with a leadoff solo home run by Poppe. It was the fifth home run of the season for the left fielder. Amber Hall then singled to left field. With two outs, Marlo Hanks drew a walk to put runners on first and second. Lindsay Garnder then hit her fourth home run of the season to left field to expand the lead to 4-0 Longhorns.
After the single by Smith in the third, a walk by Connor in the fourth and one by Fitzgerald in the sixth were the only other baserunners the Tigers had for the game.