PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Trailing 7-2 into the sixth inning, the sixth-ranked LSU softball team scored two and brought the tying run to the plate, but could not quite take advantage as the Tigers fell to ninth-ranked Arizona, 7-2, on Sunday morning at the Palm Springs Classic.
With the loss, LSU fell to 9-3 on the season and finished 2-3 in tournament play. The Wildcats improved to 6-4 on the season. The Tigers return to action at home on Wednesday against UL-Monroe at 6 p.m. before hosting the Easton Purple & Gold Challenge this weekend.
“When you look at the results, you won’t see the positives, but there were positives there,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “We hit the ball at times well off two of the best pitchers in the country in back-to-back games. We made some good defensive plays, but the pitching was really suspect this weekend. We’ve got to go home and work on getting sharper and finer.”
The home run once again proved to be the undoing of LSU, as all seven of Arizona’s runs came by way of the home run. This problem was not only limited to the Tigers on the weekend as entering Sunday play, the tournament had already seen 67 home runs in 47 games with each team averaging 1.4 home runs per game.
“We kind of fell into the same trap of the tournament with all the home runs that were hit,” said Girouard. “It was a freak weekend. I think it was contributed to a tight strike zone and low fences, pitchers not hitting their spots and obviously not pitching as well as we could. It will be a big lesson learned that we can’t make mistakes. We’ve got to go home and get better.”
The Wildcats’ four home runs included two by Stacie Chambers, which accounted for five of Arizona’s runs. The Wildcats also got a pair of solo home runs. LSU did record seven hits in the contest, but were held without a home run for the first time in four games.
Rachel Mitchell led the Tigers at the plate, going 3-for 4 against Arizona with a run scored. Jazz Jackson went 2-for-4, Shannon Stein knocked in a pair of RBIs and Quinlan Duhon scored two runs.
“It was good to see some people really step up,” said Girouard, “Rachel Mitchell looks like she’s starting to swing the bat like she ended last season.”
Arizona got on the scoreboard first with a leadoff home run by Brittney Lestrapes. LSU responded by taking the lead in the top half of the second. Duhon led off with a walk. With two outs, Jessica Mouse was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Stein then came through with a double to left center field that scored both Duhon and Mouse for the 2-1 Tiger lead.
The Wildcats evened it up in the bottom half of the inning. With one out, Victoria Kemp hit a home run to left field to tie it at three all. A third Arizona home run put the Wildcats ahead in the bottom of the third. After a walk to Jenae Leles, Stacie Chambers hit a ball just beyond the left field fence to score two and put Arizona ahead, 4-2.
Chambers did it again in the bottom of the fourth inning. With two outs, and runners on second and third, she hit her second home run of the game over the wall in center field to extend the Wildcat lead to 7-2.
In the top of the sixth, LSU got two of the runs back and threatened for more. Mitchell led off with a single to center field. With one out, Duhon was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. On a single through the left side by Tay’lr Hollis, Mitchell came around to score.
A walk to Erika Sluss loaded the bases and brought the tying run to the plate for Jessica Mouse. The third baseman then drove a ball to center field that scored Duhon for the sacrifice fly and cut the Arizona lead to 7-4. Unfortunately, Stein fouled out just in the field of play to end the inning.
Dani Hofer started for LSU and two runs on three hits with two strikeouts in an inning and a third. Tiffany Garcia came on in relief in the second and allowed two runs on three hits with two walks in an inning and a third. Garcia took the loss to fall to 1-1 on the season.
In the bottom of the third, Cody Trahan came on and gave up three runs on three hits with three walks and two strikeouts in an inning and a third. Casey Faile closed out the game with two shutout innings, failing to give up a run, while walking two and striking out two.
Taryne Mowatt earned the complete-game win for Arizona to improve to 3-3 on the year. The All-American allowed four runs on seven hits with two walks and 12 strikeouts.
LSU 020 002 0 – 4 7 0
Arizona 112 300 x – 7 9 0
Dani Hofer, Tiffany Garcia (2), Cody Trahan (3), Casey Faile (5) and Killian Roessner. Taryne Mowatt and Callista Balko. WP ? Mowatt (3-3). LP ? Garcia (1-1). S ? None. HR ? Brittany Lestrapes, Victoria Kemp, Stacie Chambers 2. T ? 2:05.