BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 20 LSU held No. 5/3 Oklahoma scoreless through six innings, but the Sooners rallied for three late runs to win the series opener 3-2 Friday night at Tiger Park.
LSU falls to 22-11 overall and 3-7 in league play, while Oklahoma is now 33-2 and 7-0 in the SEC. Cece Cellura limited Oklahoma’s powerful offense, throwing 117 pitches over 7.0 innings with three strikeouts and no walks, allowing three runs on 10 hits. The Sooners were held without a home run for just the second time this season.
“We played great,” said Head Coach Beth Torina. “Cece Cellura was just incredible. That’s three starts in a row where she’s been fantastic. I hate that we couldn’t get the win for her. One more thing, at any point. One more groundball, one more hit, one more pitch, one more anything, and we have them. I think a lot of hope is still in the group. We just have to keep going. We have a good plan, obviously, but it would have been good to get that one.”
Jayden Heavener (7-7) was charged with the loss after pitching 1.0 innings in relief. Heavener finished the game with one strikeout and one walk.
Jalia Lassiter matched her season-best with three hits and hit her fifth home run of the season. She also scored twice, recording her team-high ninth multi-hit game of the year. Alix Franklin went 2-for-2 with a game-tying RBI single and drew two walks.
Oklahoma’s Miali Guachino improved to 9-0 after pitching 1.1 innings in relief, allowing one hit, one walk, and recording a strikeout. Starter Audrey Lowry went 6.1 innings with four strikeouts, giving up two runs on five hits and five walks.
Cellura opened the game with three shutout innings featuring two strikeouts, and Lassiter put the Tigers on the scoreboard with a line-drive solo shot over the left field wall, giving LSU a 1-0 lead after three complete innings.
The Tigers’ defense sent the Sooners out in order in the fourth, highlighted by a diving foul flyout by Char Lorenz in left field, and although the Sooners threatened in the fifth with a runner in scoring position, Cellura got out of the jam with her third strikeout and a groundout for five scoreless innings.
LSU held off OU in the sixth, but the Sooners finally cracked the scoreboard at the top of the seventh, scoring two runs on Kendall Wells’ single to right to grab a 2-1 advantage. The Fighting Tigers responded immediately in the home half and tied the game thanks to Franklin’s RBI single down the left field line, plating Lassiter, who reached for the fourth time on a fielder’s choice.
In extras after OU logged its 10th hit of the game, a double by Gabbie Garcia, Heavener came in to relieve Cellura, but the Sooners held on to the momentum and regained a 3-2 lead when Garcia scored on Abby Dayton’s sacrifice fly.
LSU had one base runner in the bottom of the eighth with Maci Bergeron’s one-out walk, but Guachino’s strikeout, followed by a pop-up to the second baseman, ended the rally for the Tigers.
Up Next
Game two of the series will begin at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday on SEC Network.
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