Game 2 Release
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — The 19th-ranked LSU softball team gave up four runs on home runs as the Tigers fell to No. 11 Oregon State, 5-1, late Friday night at the Big League Dreams Stadium in the Palm Springs Classic.
The loss dropped LSU to 14-2 on the season, while the Beavers improved to 10-2. The Tigers will face Texas Tech on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. (CT) before taking on UC-Santa Barbara at 8 p.m. (CT). LSU concludes tournament play on Sunday against No. 6 Stanford at 11 a.m. (CT) on ESPNU.
Despite outhitting Oregon State, 7-6, the Beavers used three home runs to put up four of their five runs in the win. The Tigers stranded eight on base, including five in scoring position.
Emily Turner started and took the loss for LSU to fall to 4-1 on the season. She allowed four runs on six hits with a pair of walks and two strikeouts in three and two-thirds innings. Megan Jolly came on in relief and allowed one unearned run with no hits, a walk and three strikeouts in two and a third innings.
Killian Roessner led the Tigers at the plate with a 2-for-3 performance. Vanessa Soto went 1-for-4 with her team-leading eighth double. She also scored LSU’s only run on an RBI single by Quinlan Duhon in the sixth.
Turner worked out of trouble in the bottom of the first inning. Cambria Miranda led off with a double to center field. With two outs, Vanessa Iapala was hit by a pitch. Miranda and Iapala moved to second and third on a wild pitch. A walk to DeAnn Young loaded the bases before Turner struck out Lisa Allen looking to end the inning.
Stefanie Ewing led off the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run for the Beavers. After a walk to Brianne McGowan, The Tigers retired the next three batters to end the inning.
In the top of the third, Roessner led off with a single down the left field line. With Dee Dee Henderson running for her at first, she stole second. LSU could not push Henderson across as the next three Tiger batters put the ball in play, but were unable to find a hole for a base hit.
With two outs in the bottom half of the inning, Young singled to right field. On a fielding error by Duhon, Young advanced to third on the play. LSU then got a ground out to end the inning.
Leslie Klein led off the top of the fourth with a single to left center. A fielder’s choice by Soto got Klein going to second for the first out. Stephanie Hill lined out to second base before Soto stole second. A ground out by Camille Harris ended the inning.
Oregon State broke it open in the bottom of the inning with a pair of home runs. With one out, McGowan singled down the left field line. Paige Lowe then homered down the left field line to extend the lead to 3-0. With two outs, Mia Longfellow hit a home run to right field to give the Beavers the 4-0 advantage.
The Tigers came back with two runners on in the top of the fifth. Duhon was hit by a pitch to lead off. With Heidi Robin running for her, she moved to second on an infield single by Roessner. On a fielder’s choice by Lauren Delahoussaye, Roessner was thrown out at second to put runners at the corners. Andrea Smith then struck out swinging before Lauren Castle grounded out to first to end the inning.
Oregon State added another run in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Lisa Allen reached on a throwing error by Smith. A throwing error by Hill to second allows Allen to advance to third and Ewing to move to second. On a fly ball to center field by McGowan, Allen did not attempt to score. Ewing was caught off the bag at second and on the throw from Roessner to second, Allen scored on a close play at the plate.
LSU got on the board in the top of the sixth. With one out, Soto doubled to right center. Harris reached on a fielding error by the shortstop as Soto moved to third. A single by Duhon scored Soto to cut the lead to 5-1.
In the top of the seventh with one out, Fallon Fisher recorded an infield single. With Shannon Stein running for Fisher at first base, Castle singled to right center to put runners on first and second.
Brianne McGowen earned the complete-game win for Oregon State to improve to 6-1 on the season. She allowed one unearned run on seven hits with two strikeouts.
Texas Tech (5-10) went 1-1 on the day, with a win over UNLV and a loss to No. 1 Arizona. The Red Raiders are now 2-2 in the Palm Springs Classic after splitting a pair of games on Thursday. UC-Santa Barbara (6-3) is 1-1 in the tournament after a run-rule win over Ohio State and a loss to Oklahoma.
Game 1 Release
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Despite a two-hitter by Dani Hofer, the 19th-ranked LSU softball team lost a heartbreaker to No. 3 UCLA, 3-1, in their first game of the Palm Springs Classic on Friday at Big League Dreams Stadium.
With their first loss of the season, the Tigers fell to 14-1 overall. LSU will play No. 11 Oregon State late Friday evening before continuing play against Texas Tech and UC-Santa Barbara on Saturday. The Bruins improve to 10-1 with the win after also defeating Ohio State earlier in the day.
“I thought we played excellent and we had some chances but didn’t quite capitalize,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “The game was closer than the score, but credit UCLA for making the play at the plate in the third inning and getting the one key swing of the bat to win it.”
After giving up a single to the leadoff batter of the game, Hofer (4-1) did not allow a hit again until giving up a two-out home run to Emily Zaplatosch in the bottom of the sixth inning, which proved to be the game winner. It was the first home run allowed by the Tigers this season, on a hit that just remained inside the left field foul pole.
“I think we were here ready to play and if we could have gotten a break or two here or there, the outcome could have been different,” said Girouard. “We had chances to win the ballgame and we’ll have more chances down the road.”
In the bottom of the first inning, Andrea Duran led off with a bloop single down the left field line. She stole second and then moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. A sacrifice fly by Caitlin Benyi scored Duran to give UCLA a 1-0 lead.
LSU got the run back in the top of the third inning. With two outs and Leslie Klein on first, Vanessa Soto singled down the left field line, allowing Klein to take third as Soto moved to second. Stephanie Hill then singled to right field, scoring Klein from third before Soto was thrown out attempting to score from second, but not before the Tigers tied the game at one all.
Neither team put got anything going through the next two innings, with the Tigers keeping UCLA from having a runner in scoring position. In the top of the sixth, LSU had its best chance since the third inning. With one out, Soto recorded her second hit of the game. With Dee Dee Henderson running for Soto, she stole second to put a runner in scoring position. Unfortunately, the Tigers could not push the run across as Hill and Camille Harris grounded out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, Duran led off with a walk. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. With one out, Benyi fouled out to Hill at first base on a catch made at the dugout fence. The play allowed Duran to advance to third when Lauren Delahoussaye was called for obstruction on the play at third. Zaplatosch then hit a two-run home run that barely stayed on the fair side of the left field fence to give the Bruins the 3-1 advantage.
In addition to the two hits allowed by Hofer, she walked two and struck out two in the complete-game. Lisa Dodd earned the complete-game win to improve to 5-0 on the season for UCLA. She allowed one run on four hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.