By Tiger Rag News Services

BATON ROUGE, La. – A two-run home run in the first by the Oklahoma State Cowgirls put the No. 4 LSU softball team in an early hole, but a three-run third for the Tigers gave the team its first and only lead that it would not relinquish for the rest of the game to earn the 5-2 victory and close out play in the Tiger Classic.

After spotting the opposition that two-run cushion in the very first set of at-bats, the Tigers (4-1) would need a few innings before having their bats finally come to life, as with two outs LSU produced four hits in the third alone with freshman Sydney Springfield tying the game with a single, before Amanda Doyle came up next and gave LSU the lead on a double to make it 3-2.

Springfield finished the day 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, while Doyle was 2-for-3 with an RBI as the only two Tigers with multiple hits. Sahvanna Jaquish added some insurance in the bottom of the sixth, driving in two on her only hit to make it 5-2.

After giving up the home run on her second allowed hit of the first, Sydney Smith (2-0) remained cool in the circle allowing just three more base hits after that to secure the victory and her second of the weekend. Smith went the distance and allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

Whitney Whitehorn (0-1) suffered the loss for Oklahoma State (3-2) allowing three runs on five hits with a walk and a strikeout. Kristin Reasnor had one of OSU’s five hits and produced its only two runs on the home run in the first inning.

The Game Turned When…
With a 3-2 count and two outs on the board, Springfield singled to right center to bring in two runs to tie the game with the Cowgirls. Soon after, Doyle connected for a double down the right field line to bring in another run to give LSU its first lead of the day up 3-2. Until the third, LSU had produced just one hit in the game.

Top Performers
Sydney Springfield: 2-3, two RBIs
Amanda Doyle: 2-3, double, RBI
Sahvanna Jaquish: 1-2, two RBIs, run scored, two walks
Sydney Smith: 7.0 IP, five hits, two earned runs, four strikeouts, two walks, 100 pitches thrown

Quotables
Head Coach Beth Torina’s thoughts on freshman Sydney Springfield’s performance this weekend…
“What a great weekend (she had). It would be a great weekend for anyone let alone a freshman. We’re excited about her. We’ve been excited about her all the way through the recruiting process. It’s nice to see it all come together for her during weekend one (of the season). She’s so coachable, so clutch, there’s so many great things about her, you really can’t say enough.”

Sydney Springfield on her first games in Tiger Park…
“I had so much fun finally putting on the LSU jersey for the first game that counted is unreal. You work so hard in the fall. You come in not knowing these girls and you bonded with them over the fall and just putting in work day in and day out just to see your dreams as a little girl come true is just an amazing feeling.”

Sydney Springfield on seeing the ball really well at the plate…
“I have just been working on having confidence at the plate and just working every day at practice and making sure I have confidence and a presence at the plate. Not be too big and just stay within myself.”

Sahvanna Jaquish on her takeaways from the weekend…
“I would say the fight in this team. You saw us come back from deficits twice so I think that is going to be something you will see out of us. Not the deficits, but you are going to see us fight a lot this year.”

 

Saturday Recap

Softball Sweeps Saturday at Tiger Classic

Looking to bounce back after splitting the opening day of play in the Tiger Classic, the No. 4 LSU softball team was down by a run and struggling to get anything going offensively before a spark of life to tie the game late led to a walk-off single from Shemiah Sanchez in the seventh to defeat McNeese State and send the Tigers to a Saturday sweep of action.

LSU (2-1) opened the game by scoring a pair of runs on hits from the bats of freshmen Amanda Doyle and Sydney Springfield. However, the lead would be nullified in the third as the Cowgirls scored three runs on three hits, as the offensive struggles LSU had against Penn State the previous night began to surface.

However, the sixth breathed new life into the Tigers as another freshman, Aliyah Andrews, earned the team’s fourth hit of the contest on an infield single, moving to second after an error to get into scoring position. Coming on to pinch hit, Allie Walljasper roped a double down the left field line to score Andrews and knot the game at three.

At that point, LSU had the visitors on the ropes and a shaky seventh for the Cowgirls opened with a double for Sahvanna Jaquish and an intentional walk to put two on, with a sacrifice from Springfield moving the two over. Another intentional walk to Elyse Thornhill loaded the bases, setting the stage for Sanchez who singled to right center ending the contest.

Sydney Smith (1-0) earned the victory as she came on in relief of starter Carley Hoover in the sixth inning, as she pitched a flawless final two frames earning a strikeout, without allowing a hit or another run to cross the plate to keep the team in the hunt. Hoover went five innings and allowed all three runs on six hits with three strikeouts and a walk.

The Game Turned When…
After watching a two-run lead turn into a single-run deficit after McNeese scored three runs in the third, the Tigers got a spark in the sixth when Aliyah Andrews reached on a single and advanced to second on an error. It set up Walljasper who came on to pinch hit and ripped a double down the left field line to tie the game at 3-3. From there, LSU regained the momentum and scored the winning run in the very next frame on a Sanchez single.

Top Performers
Sahvanna Jaquish: 3-3, double, run scored
Amanda Doyle: 1-3, RBI
Sydney Springfield: 1-3, RBI
Shemiah Sanchez: 1-3, RBI
Sydney Smith: 2.0 IP, strikeout

Quotables
Head Coach Beth Torina on playing a tough squad like McNeese State…
“Their third baseman (Erika Piancastelli) and I actually talked about it during the middle of the game of why can’t this ever just be easy. They’re a great team, they’re a great program, and they’re an in-state rival so I think any time you have teams like that it’s always going to be tough. We respect them a lot and we were lucky to come away with a win against them today.”

Shemiah Sanchez on her thoughts on the final play of the game…
“I was like thank you Lord for putting me in this position to do it for my team. All credit to Him.”

Game Two: LSU 14, Penn State 1 (5 innings)
After suffering a defeat at the hands of the Nittany Lions the previous night, the LSU softball team left their offensive struggles behind and produced 14 runs on 14 hits to defeat Penn State 14-1 in five innings to close out play Saturday.

Eight different Tigers (3-1) earned base hits on the evening, with four earning multiple base knocks. Bailey Landry and Sydney Springfield had three hits each, while Emily Griggs and Sahvanna Jaquish had two hits each.

After scoring five runs in the very opening frame, the third would be the decider as 12 LSU batters went to the plate, producing eight runs on seven hits in the inning alone to extend its lead to 13. The Tigers were also the beneficiaries of four Penn State (1-3) errors in the game, three coming in the third, which helped extend LSU’s time at the plate.

Allie Walljasper (2-0) didn’t give up a hit until the third inning and finished the day allowing just three and one single run with five strikeouts and two walks in the complete-game victory.

The Game Turned When…
LSU scored five runs on four hits and a Penn State error to jump out to a 5-0 lead over the Nittany Lions. After struggling to score and string together hits on Friday, the team found every open space in the park on Saturday, leading to an eight run third and 14 total hits in the victory.

Top Performers
Bailey Landry: 3-4, RBI, two runs scored, triple
Sydney Springfield: 3-3, double, two RBIs, two runs scored
Emily Griggs: 2-3, two RBIs, two runs scored
Sahvanna Jaquish: 2-3, double, 2 RBIs, two runs scored
Shemiah Sanchez: 1-2, double, two RBIs
Amber Serrett: 1-3, HR, RBI
Allie Walljasper: 5.0 IP, three hits, one run, five strikeouts, two walks

Quotables
Head Coach Beth Torina on Bailey Landry’s night against Penn State…
“She’s a special player. I think we’ve come to expect that from Bailey Landry. She just has so many weapons and tools. I just think she’s capable of doing anything. She did a great job tonight and we’ve all come to expect that from her.”

Bailey Landry on Coach Torina’s mindset for the team for Oklahoma State on Sunday…
“She applauded us for the win tonight. She said tomorrow Oklahoma State is going to feel the way we felt going into this game and we need to saddle up and make sure we are ready to play tomorrow.”

Friday Recap

Softball Splits on Opening Day of Tiger Classic

In the season opening game for the fourth-ranked Tigers, the LSU softball team turned on the bats and would need just three innings to jump out to a big lead and coast in a 14-2 win over the Oklahoma State Cowgirls at Tiger Park.

Eight different Tigers (1-0) helped produce 16 hits in the contest, as five players earned multiple hits against the Cowgirls (1-1). LSU scored all 14 of their runs in the first three innings, as Oklahoma State plated a run in the second and just one more in the fourth, on nine hits and an error.

Bailey Landry and Emily Griggs each produced three hits, as Landry had two RBIs and Griggs had an RBI and stolen base. Sahvanna Jaquish drove in two and scored twice, earning the team’s only extra-base hit on a double, while Elyse Thornhill led all players driving in three on two hits.

Allie Walljasper (1-0) went the distance and had five strikeouts on 94 pitches tossed, walking just two. OSU’s Shea Coats (0-1) suffered the loss after allowing six runs on eight hits in just an inning of work. OSU used three total pitchers against LSU.

The Game Turned When…
The Tigers exploded for four runs in the very first inning, lifting the lid on the game in the very next frame batting around and scoring seven runs. In the first two innings alone the Tigers combined for 11 runs on 14 hits. The squad would score three more runs

Top Performers
Bailey Landry: 3-3, two RBIs, two runs, stolen base
Emily Griggs: 3-3, RBI, two runs, stolen base
Sahvanna Jaquish: 2-4, double, two RBIs, two runs
Elyse Thornhill: 2-4, three RBIs, run
Shemiah Sanchez: 2-2, RBI, two runs, walk, stolen base

Quotables
Beth Torina on Allie Walljasper’s outing…
“Allie was Allie. That’s what we’re used to getting from her. She’s ice-water. It doesn’t matter if it’s the first batter, or the bases-loaded, two-outs to get to the College World Series, it’ll be the same Allie Wallljasper.”

Bailey Landry on seeing multiple pitchers on the weekend…
“Both teams played really well today. I think seeing different pitchers matching up with different hitters both on offense for us facing the pitchers and also for defense with our pitchers facing batters. I am confident we are going to come out and have a strong showing tomorrow.”

Game Two: Penn State 7, LSU 3
After opening the scoring with a run in the bottom of the second inning, the LSU softball team seemed prime to plate more, but a five-run third by the Penn State Nittany Lions in the top of the very next frame stole the momentum as the Tigers fell in the final game of the day Friday, 7-3.

A sacrifice RBI from Taylor Satchell was the first run of the game for LSU (1-1) in the contest, but the home side would only be able to plate a single run in the third and fifth, while Penn State (1-1) plated two more insurance runs in the fourth to hold off the Tigers.

Coming on in relief, Carley Hoover struck out 12 in 4.2 innings of work in the circle and allowed just two runs on two hits. She came on for freshman starter Maribeth Gorsuch (0-1) who suffered the loss allowing five runs on four hits, striking out four with two walks in 2.1 innings of work.

Freshman Sydney Springfield led the team going 2-for-3 with a walk and run scored. Amanda Doyle, Constance Quinn and Satchell each had RBIs.

Penn State’s Madison Seifert (1-0) went the distance, earning the complete-game victory as she allowed three runs on six hits with four walks and three strikeouts. She tossed 137 pitches for the Nittany Lions, as the bats of Toni Polk and Tori Dubois drove in two RBIs each.

The Game Turned When…
The Nittany Lions came back from the early 1-0 deficit to produce five runs on five hits in the third, as Gorsuch exited and Hoover came on. Penn State sent 11 batters to the plate in the frame alone.

Top Performers
Carley Hoover: 4.2 IP, 12 K’s, two runs, two earned runs, five walks
Sydney Springfield: 2-3, walk, run scored
Amanda Doyle: 1-3, RBI
Constance Quinn: 1-3, RBI

Quotables
Beth Torina on the performance of the freshmen today…
“I mean our freshmen are great players. I’ll go back and evaluate how we can still have some confidence. I mean the two freshmen are the two that got all of the hits tonight. (Amanda) Doyle and (Sydney) Springfield were the ones who really carried us offensively tonight. Offensively, those guys did a great job. We just need to figure out what we need to do to have confidence in order to stop from snowballing.”

Carley Hoover on bouncing back for Saturday
“A day like today gives me hope in our potential and it also makes me excited to play again tomorrow.”