Streak’s over: No. 15 LSU softball has 13-game winning streak snapped by UL-Lafayette

LSU’s comeback effort to keep its unbeaten streak alive fell a run short to a familiar opponent.

UL-Lafayette wiped away a two-run, first-inning deficit with five straight runs over the second and third innings and then held off a late rally for a 5-4 victory over the No. 15 Tigers before a sold-out crowd Saturday at Tiger Park.

The two teams meet again Sunday at 2:30 at UL-Lafayette’s Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.

LSU (13-1) closed to the final score on Georgia Clark’s lead-off homer in the sixth inning which tied her for fifth on the school’s career list with 34. The Tigers made it 5-4 on Raeleen Gutierrez’s RBI-single to score McKenzie Redoutey.

The Ragin Cajuns (8-5) brought in reliever Chloe Riasetto to replace starter Meghan Schorman who struck out Danieca Coffey to get out of the sixth inning.

Riasetto earned her second save with a perfect seventh inning, including striking out Redoutey to end the game.

Shortstop Taylor Pleasants doubled in a run and Clark added a RBI-single to left field for a 2-0 lead in the first off Schorman (4-2).

UL-Lafayette tied the game with two runs in the second on Victoria Valdez’ two-run homer to left off LSU starter Raelin Chaffin. Chaffin (2-1) lasted two innings, allowing four runs on two hits with a walk and no strikeouts.

Freshman Sydney Berzon came on in relief of Chaffin in the third inning, inheriting a runner on third base. The Cajuns scored three times on four hits in the inning with Mihyia Davis singling in a run and Stormy Kotzelnick adding a two-run homer on a 2-2 pitch from Berzon who yielded five hits in five innings. She allowed a run, walked two and struck out two.

LSU 12, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0 (5)

The Tigers bounced back from their first loss of the season with a 12-0 mercy-rule win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in five innings.

“I thought it was a great response to the first game,” LSU softball coach Beth Torina said. “I think they did a great job of coming out and scoring right off the bat and getting a good shutdown performance from Emilee Casanova.”

Redshirt sophomore pitcher Emilee Casanova (1-0) picked up for her first win and shutout of her career. She allowed two hits and struck out five.

LSU’s offense provided her with plenty of support with 10 hits and included home runs from Pleasants and Briggs and it was Coffey and Briggs that went 2-for-2.

Clark’s 2-run homer in the first got LSU off and running and the Tigers followed with eight runs on five hits in the second, highlighted by Briggs’ homer of the season – a grand slam on a 1-0 pitch to right-center field.

Briggs’ homer touched off the big inning that also included run-scoring hits from Karli Petty and Ali Newland. Coffey’s two-run single through the right side of the infield made it 12-0 in the fourth.