No. 10 LSU Drops Regular Season Finale to Liberty, 3-1
LSU wins the series over Liberty, 2-1 and concludes the 2024 regular season with a 38-14 record. The Tigers will be the No. 8 seed in the SEC Tournament and will face nine-seeded Alabama at 10 a.m. CT on Tuesday, May 8, at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn, Ala.
BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 10/13 LSU takes the three-game series over Liberty with two wins but falls 3-1 in the finale Sunday night at Tiger Park.
LSU concludes the regular season with a 38-14 record, while Liberty moves to 32-22.
“It’s nice to be 0-0 again, get a little restart here,” said Head Coach Beth Torina. “It’s almost like a free week with the SEC Tournament. It can only help you. I hope we go there and play well and make a case for being a top 8 seed.”
Pitcher Elena Escobar (11-4) picks up the win, allowing one run on five hits, three walks, and two strikeouts in her fifth complete game this season.
Pitcher Raelin Chaffin (10-5) is charged with the loss after throwing a strikeout with one walk and allowing three runs on four hits in 2.1 innings. Relief pitcher Sydney Berzon struck out four batters while allowing no runs on three hits in 4.2 innings. Following the last batter in the second inning for Liberty, Berzon and the LSU defense retired 13 of the final 15 batters.
Designated player Kelley Lynch led the offense with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate. Catcher Maci Bergeron, outfielder Ciara Briggs, and first baseman Raeleen Gutierrez each registered a hit, and Gutierrez added an RBI.
In the second stanza, Liberty scored the game’s first run when catcher Savannah Jessee hit a run-scoring double. The Flames stretched their lead to 3-0 in the third behind outfielder Rachel Roupe’s two-run home run.
LSU remained scoreless through the next two innings before Briggs knocked a leadoff single in the sixth, advanced to second on a groundout, and was brought home from a Gutierrez two-out RBI single to cut into the deficit 3-1 through six innings.
In the seventh, with two outs, LSU found itself with the bases loaded and the go-ahead run at the dish after second baseman Karli Petty earned a free pass, followed by a Lynch’s single and a walk for pinch hitter Sierra Daniel. But the Tigers’ rally fell short with a groundout to the pitcher to end the game.
Up Next
LSU will be the No. 8 seed in the SEC Tournament and will face No. 9 seed Alabama at 10 a.m. CT on Tuesday, May 8, at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn, Ala.