No. 3 LSU softball scores huge win over No. 2 Texas to stay unbeaten (2024)

If anyone was doubting the legitimacy of LSU softball's unbeaten start to the season, the Tigers countered it with a signature victory against No. 2 Texas on Tuesday.

With a full house at Tiger Park looking on, the No. 3 Tigers struck for five runs in the first inning on the way to a 7-4 victory.

Kelley Lynch keyed the big inning with a three-run double, and Sydney Berzon retired the last 10 hitters she faced to send a message that the 23-0 Tigers are for real.

Normally judicious with comparing victories, LSU coach Beth Torina gushed about what the powerhouse matinee matchup meant for her program.

“This is a big one, a really big one,” she said. “That’s (Texas) a really good team, a talented team that has huge wins, played well and it was a super competitive game.

"It’s our highest-ranked win. This one is going to mean a lot to us down the stretch when we’re trying to host regionals or super regionals. It was a really big test and we passed.”

Spurred on by a field trip day crowd for an 11 a.m. start, LSU knocked out Longhorns freshman ace Teagan Kavan with a combination of patience and aggression. LSU leadoff hitter Ciara Briggs started it with an infield single, and one out later Taylor Pleasants was hit by a pitch. Raeleen Gutierrez delivered the first run with a double.

After McKenzie Redoutey struck out looking, Maci Bergeron walked and Karli Petty was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Lynch hit the first pitch from Kazan to clear the bases and send a shockwave through the Texas dugout as Kavan was lifted.

“After she walked in (a run), I knew I was going to get a pretty strike there,” Lynch said. “I was waiting for it to come and luckily did some damage with it.”

LSU made it 6-0 in the second inning on another hit by Briggs, a wild pitch and a single by Ali Newland. After Texas answered with four runs across the third and fourth innings, Sierra Daniel tripled and scored on Briggs’ sacrifice fly for LSU for a 7-4 edge in the bottom of the fourth.

“Our plan was to attack them in the zone,” Pleasants said. “We knew she was going to come in to lefties. We let those go or let them hit us, and just kept going.

Said Lynch: “We really all bought into the hard work of the coaches. We were going to lay off the rise ball and attack the other stuff. I felt like we did a really good job of that today.”

Texas got nine hits off Berzon and appeared determined to make it a slugfest. Mia Scott bounced a two-run single through the infield and Reese Atwood hit a sacrifice fly in the third. Scott’s run-scoring single in the fourth kept the pressure on, but that's when Berzon went to Plan B.

“Me and coach had a lot of open discussions on how they were attacking us, where they were swinging,” said Berzon, who struck out four and walked one. “After the fourth inning, we kinda hit a sweet spot where we figured out their plan and made a change to what we were doing. That really helped."

Torina gave Berzon credit for trusting her instincts.

“It was her idea. We went with her game plan for the last three innings, went off script,” Torina said. “At the end of the day, it’s their game. I had a career and I’m done. It’s what she felt confident in.

"That’s a big reason I have those conversations with pitchers after every inning. She was right on.”

It was a tough day for the Longhorns (21-3), who hit into a 3-6-3 double play and had a runner called out when she was hit by a batted ball headed for the outfield.

“It was one of those nightmare starts that happens sometimes against good teams in tough environments,” Texas coach Mike White said. “She’s a freshman (Kavan), and there’s a reason why we schedule these kinds of games — so we can learn from it.

“The message to the team was we won the second half of the game and we did that 4-2. But it doesn’t matter in the scorebooks. They outplayed us for the whole game and that’s what matters.”

Torina also threw bouquets to the announced crowd of 2,844. On field trip day, the program makes arrangements for school-sponsored groups to attend.

“It was so cool, awesome to see all these kids, a lot of them their first time in Tiger Park,” Torina said. “I’m really thankful Baton Rouge came out so strong today. They had a huge difference in the game, especially that first inning. My daughter and her class were there in the front row giving it to them just the way we asked them to.”