BATON ROUGE, La. – In a highly-anticipated matchup of Top 10 squads, the LSU softball team opened the 2016 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Friday in Palm Springs and battled through a pitcher’s duel until late when the No. 9 Arizona Wildcats plated three runs in the bottom of the fifth and the Tigers would not be able to retaliate in falling 3-0 at the Big League Dreams Complex.
The Tigers (4-2) were held to just three hits in the contest, stranding four runners on base against the Wildcats (7-0). Bailey Landry, Sahvanna Jaquish and Constance Quinn had each of the team’s three hits, while as a group striking out eight times.
Allie Walljasper (0-2) suffered the loss, pitching 4.1 innings and allowing all three runs, one earned, on five hits with two strikeouts and zero walks. Carley Hoover came on in relief, pitching the final 1.2 innings and allowing a hit while striking out two.
Arizona’s Danielle O’Toole earned the win walking two after tossing 106 pitches in the game with 66 pitches for strikes. Of the three hits she allowed, two came in one inning, as she was helped by Alexis Dotson who had two of Arizona’s hits in the game.
After getting a runner on in the first, LSU finally got its second runner of the game on in the top of the fourth, as Emily Griggs led off with a walk. After a strikeout, Jaquish also earned a walk to put two runners on for the first time for either team on the day. Unfortunately, LSU would not be able to take advantage of the opportunity, as a liner to second and a fly out to center ended the frame.
Arizona finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth inning, getting two hits and an LSU error to plate three runs to take a 3-0 lead over the Tigers with two innings left to play.
The Tigers took to the top of the sixth and got a leadoff single from Quinn to put one on. After a strikeout, Landry legged out an infield single to put two on for LSU. A fielder’s choice put two outs on the board with runners at the corners, and LSU would not be able to capitalize as a grounder to short ended the inning.
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