The Walk-Off: LSU’s walk-off win over Oklahoma State, Mississippi State stuns Clemson

By
Brady Vernon
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Courtesy of LSU Athletics

Saturday morning in Clearwater treated us with rain and runs. For most, is an adequate breakfast for the 9 a.m. ET start time. However, the rain won out in Florida as most of the other games were canceled and we turned our attention to the rest of the country.

No. 11 LSU walks off No. 10 Oklahoma State

Hannah Carson transferred to LSU after a four-year career at Michigan last year but she only got to don a Tiger jersey for two games before suffering a season-ending injury running the bases. The unexpected year two in Baton Rouge is already off to a better start.

Carson stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and LSU down one in the bottom of the seventh. Despite Lexi Kilfoyl struggling with her command, mostly due to the rain, Carson came out swinging and fell behind 0-2. She drilled a ball that bounced off Tallen Edwards glove at third base and rolled into the outfield for the walk-off two-RBI single in the 7-6 win.

There will be plenty of conversation around the rain, which stopped the game for a brief moment during LSU’s rally. Kilfoyl lives in the bottom of the zone and skipped multiple balls during the seventh inning. Kenny Gajewski’s plea to stop the game was heard. After the pause, Kilfoyl walked her second straight batter and the rest was history.

Hopefully, the weather doesn’t take away from a game that had a postseason feel. Edwards jolted the viewers with her own shot of espresso taking the first pitch of the game deep. The Cowgirl bats were quiet the rest of the way the first time through against Sydney Berzon.

The Tigers lineup kept their hot bats. Raeleen Gutierrez blasted a two-run home run. Her fourth of the season, marking a career-high already. LSU pushed three across in the second inning after Karli Petty – against her former team – and Ciara Briggs doubled in runs.

Oklahoma State adjusted at the plate against Berzon. The Cowgirls kept it simple against the downballer. After an Edwards walk, the heart of the order produced four hits on line drives and hard-hit balls up the middle to tie the game. Rosie Davis put her team back on top with her own RBI single.

Beth Torina, who earned her 500th career win at LSU, stuck with Berzon the whole time. She proceeded to throw four straight scoreless frames. A nod to Ivy Rosenbery after her four scoreless innings to put Oklahoma State right back in it.

Overall it wouldn’t be a surprise to see these two teams matched up again come postseason.

Mississippi State takes down No. 6 Clemson

Mississippi State es en Fuego. The Bulldogs continue their unbeaten streak, advancing to 7-0 for the season after securing their third impressive victory against a Top-25 opponent. A hard-fought 6-3 win over the No. 6 Clemson in Puerto Vallarta, appears to virtually guarantee their inclusion in the upcoming polls. Aspen Wesley, boasting a perfect 3-0 record, delivered a stellar performance in the circle, pitching a complete game victory while conceding only one earned run on six hits. Wesley showcased her command by striking out eight batters, alternating speeds and using a spinny rise up and in to right-handed hitters. Meanwhile, Madisyn Kennedy made her mark at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a crucial two-run home run and contributing 3 RBIs to secure the Bulldogs’ win.

The Bulldogs continued their winning ways, run-ruling No. 14 Utah. Josey Marron and Lexi Sosa combined to limit the Utes to one earned run. Taryne Mowatt-McKinney’s group continues to excel in the circle. Jessie Blaine hit a three-run homer off of Mariah Lopez, who was chased after four innings. Salen Hawkins also had a pair of two-run doubles.

Softball around America

  • Georgia decided it wanted runs for breakfast. Before you could add cream to your coffee, the Bulldogs already had 14 runs in two innings. Georgia went on to win 20-10 in another crazy Clearwater slugfest. After dropping down from the leadoff spot, Sara Mosley ended the day with seven RBIs.
  • Cal made it seven straight wins, taking down No. 17 Virginia Tech in extra innings and Illinois State in Phoenix. Elon Butler was a triple short of the cycle and drove in four runs as the Bears upended a hot Hokie team 6-5. Kyndal Todd ripped a three-run walk-off blast to beat the Redbirds 5-2. 
    • The Hokies had their worst day of the season. Virginia Tech went from zero to two losses on the season. GCU run-ruled the Hokies 11-2 as the Lopes put up a seven-spot in the third inning. Kristin Fifield and Ramsey Lopez smashed home runs.
  • Upsets didn’t stop there. Gardner-Webb earned its first win over a Power Five opponent since 2018 and second in program history with a 7-4 win No. 24 Indiana. Nine-hole hitter Emily Garcia finished with four RBIs including a three-run blast.
  • Texas A&M had another good day in San Diego. The Aggies outscored LMU and SDSU 11-2 in their pair of wins. Emiley Kennedy had another gem,
  • Oklahoma grinded out a 3-0 at McNeese. Karlie Keeney, SJ Geurin Nicole May and Kelly Maxwell combined to throw the shutout. The Sooners scored two runs in the first and were held scoreless until this moonshot from Cydney Sanders.
  • Trinity Schlotterbeck went pitch-for-pitch with her former Big Ten foe Lauren Derkowski as FAU downed Michigan 1-0. The Owls finally scored the game’s first run in the sixth inning on a Zoey Jones single.
  • Texas Tech rallied to beat Texas State 4-1. Jessica Mullins had shut down the Red Raider offense until Kailey Wyckoff doubled in the game-tying run in the seventh. Texas Tech took advantage of an error and tacked on three more runs.
    • Texas Tech held strong to hold off a seventh-inning rally from Tulsa for a 4-3 win as well.
  • LA Tech beat Lindenwood 28-2 after drawing 20 walks. The Bulldogs’ 26 RBI and 20 walks were both program records.
  • Bradley’s leadoff hitter Tori Meyer completed the cycle in a 7-3 win.

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Brady Vernon

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