STILLWATER, Okla. – The LSU softball team committed a season-high four errors as No. 23 Oklahoma State claimed a 1-0 victory in 10 innings Sunday at Cowgirl Stadium on the OSU campus.
It marked the Tigers fourth straight contest versus a 2011 Women’s College World Series participant.
Ashley Langoni collected three of LSU’s (10-7) six hits. The three hits for Langoni matched a career-high. She was inches away from a solo home run with one out during the eighth inning. The towering shot ricocheted off the top of the left field wall.
Ashley Applegate also drove a ball to the warning track of right field with two outs in the seventh inning. For the game, the Tigers equaled a season’s best with 11 runners left on-base.
Rachele Fico was handed the hard-luck loss to drop to 5-3 on the season. She was touched up for an unearned run and registered seven strikeouts against one walk.
“We’re lucky to have a pitcher like Rachele because she keeps us in every ball game and competes at the highest level every time she takes the mound,” head coach Beth Torina said. “Defensively, we’ll get the players more reps and get better. We have a very experienced second baseman in Allison Falcon that wasn’t with us this weekend. There’s no doubt she would have improved our defense. It’s no excuse for poor performance because we have players who are capable of doing much better. We have talented players, and we have to get them to perform.”
The Cowgirls (8-9) strung together consecutive singles from Chelsea Garcia and Shelby Davis to open the 10th inning. After a Tarah Ettinger sacrifice bunt advanced the runners into scoring position, Hannah Bowen knocked a ground ball to second baseman Rikki Alcaraz, who committed a fielding error which allowed Garcia to cross the plate for the game’s only run.
Fico pitched her way out of bases loaded jams during the eighth and ninth innings, respectively. She got Ettinger to foul out to left field followed by a timely strikeout of Julie Ward, the Cowgirls clean-up hitter.
LSU’s best opportunity to score came in the second inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, A.J. Andrews smacked a fly ball to left centerfield, but OSU centerfielder Kelsey Anchors laid out for the diving catch to keep the game scoreless.
The Tigers return to action for their first road mid-week tilt of the 2012 season Wednesday against Nicholls State. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. from the Colonel Softball Complex.
“We definitely need to get back on the positive side,” Torina said. “It will be a good opportunity on Wednesday to go out and compete. We’re looking forward to it.”
Follow every pitch of LSU softball this season via live stats on www.LSUsports.net/livestats. Fans also can receive live in-game updates on LSU softball’s social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/lsusoftball and @lsu_softball on Twitter.