Torina not happy with LSU effort in 3-2 loss to Auburn in Game One

No. 6 LSU dropped its series opener against Auburn, 3-2, Friday night at Tiger Park.

LSU drops to 32-7 this season and 9-7 in the SEC, while Auburn improves to 22-12-1 and 4-9 in league play.

“I didn’t like a lot of the things that happened tonight,” said Head Coach Beth Torina. “I didn’t like our effort and the way we played defense. I didn’t think we came out attacking offensively, but I was unhappy with the overall performance. We had opportunities in the first inning. We had runners on first and second, no outs. We had opportunities throughout the game, but we didn’t capitalize on them.”

Auburn’s ace Maddie Penta (13-6) gets the win in the circle after pitching 2.0 innings in relief. She accounted for the team’s four strikeouts and gave up one hit, no runs, and a walk. Penta entered the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, and she retired six of the game’s final seven batters and struck out the side in the seventh. 

LSU’s pitcher Sydney Berzon (14-4) threw a good game, tallying eight strikeouts and surrendered two walks and one earned run. Berzon gave up seven hits in her 11th complete game this season.

Six different LSU Tigers recorded one hit in the game, led by second baseman Karli Petty, who drove in LSU’s two runs with her second home run in as many games. 

Auburn snuck in a two-out run on a fielder’s choice in the third inning for the game’s first run, but Petty sent a two-run moonshot over the right field wall to give LSU a 2-1 lead after four innings. 

 AU’s infielder Axe Milanowski tied the game in the top of the sixth with an RBI single, and the visiting club crossed the game-winning run in the top of the seventh, aided by an LSU error, to take the 3-2 lead.

Up Next

Game two of the series will be the annual Strikeout Ovarian Cancer / All for Alex game beginning at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday.