How It Happened: Oklahoma Sooners Outlast LSU Softball in Decisive 8-3 Game 3 Win

BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 20 LSU could not overcome a four-run first inning by No. 5/3 Oklahoma, falling 8-3 in the series’ rubber match on Sunday afternoon at Tiger Park.

LSU moves to 23-12 overall and 4-8 in league play after a competitive series, and Oklahoma is now 34-3 and 8-1 in the SEC.

“I liked the fight of our team,” Head Coach Beth Torina said. “We scratched back and got within one swing of it at the end. We continued to battle, which I thought was really cool.”

Cece Cellura (4-4) was charged with her second loss of the series after surrendering three runs on three hits in the first inning. Jayden Heavener logged 5.2 innings, giving up five runs, seven hits, and one walk, while striking out three batters. Paytn Monticelli recorded the final three outs and capped the game with a strikeout.

Kylee Edwards (2-for-3) continues to see the ball well, hitting two home runs on the day to push her season total to six. It was her first career multi-home run game, and the junior infielder scored two runs, had two RBI, and drew a walk.

Char Lorenz also went yard for the Tigers, hitting her fifth homer of the season, and Sierra Daniel batted 2-for-3 on the day, bringing her season total to a team-best 10 multi-hit games and 100 career hits. Maci Bergeron and Alix Franklin accounted for LSU’s remaining hits, and Franklin drove in a run.

LSU Tigers softball takes down the Northwestern Wildcats and Virginia Tech Hokies. — Courtesy of LSU Softball.

Oklahoma’s Maili Guachino improved to 10-0 in the circle. In her third complete game this season, Guachino had a season-high 11 strikeouts and allowed four runs, seven hits, and three walks.

Oklahoma jumped out to a 4-0 lead, highlighted by two home runs by Kendall Wells and Gabbie Garcia in the opening inning. LSU chipped away at the deficit in the second with consecutive home runs on back-to-back pitches by K. Edwards and Lorenz, making the score 4-2.

After a pair of clean innings for both clubs, the Sooners extended their lead via a three-run shot over the center field wall by Isabela Emerling, and the Tigers went out in order in the home half, trailing 7-2 through five frames.

The two teams traded solo shots in the sixth inning, including K. Edwards’ second homer of the game, which made the score 8-3.

Monticelli worked a 1-2-3 seventh, concluding with a strikeout, and the Tigers threatened in the bottom half-inning. Jalia Lassiter drew a walk, and Daniel registered her second base knock of the game.

With two outs on the board, Franklin hit a run-scoring single up the middle, bringing K. Edwards to the plate for her fourth at-bat. K. Edwards would be retired for the first time, however, with a fly out to right field to end the game.

Up Next
LSU will have a quick turnaround with a Thursday through Saturday series on April 2-4, against Missouri in Columbia, Mo.

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