Photograph: LSU’s Karli Petty slides in for a score as the ball gets away from Ragin Cajuns’ Catcher Victoria Valdez. (Photograph by Mike Curley)
BOBBY ARDOIN
Editor/Consulting Writer
Dominant pitching. Flawless fielding. Opportune hitting.
LSU displayed all three Sunday as the No. 14 Tigers defeated the Louisiana softball team 4-1 at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.
Ali Kilponen, a fifth-year LSU senior, only struck out four Cajuns.
However Kilponen pitched skillfully before the 2,403 who attended, mixing velocity and off-speed, a strategy that kept Louisiana from hitting solidly over the seven innings, said Cajuns’ softball coach Gerry Glasco.
Glasco said the Cajuns were having difficulty at times discerning the off-speed pitches from Kilponen.
The Cajuns’ coaches estimated that at times the curve and riseballs from Kilponen were reaching 67 miles per hour, while she dropped the speed to 56 on her off-speed pitches, Glasco said.
That contrast in speed was effective, said Glasco.
“I thought we matched up well in the upper quadrants. They hit today and we didn’t,” Glasco said.
The Cajuns entered the game with five starters batting over .300.
It was important to temper that offensive potential, said LSU softball coach Beth Torino.
“(Louisiana) really does have a great offense, so (Kilponen) knew she needed to have different pitches to be effective. She’s been (at LSU) six years and (on Sunday) she had to rely on the whole sink to get things done,” Torino said.
Louisiana had five hits against Kilponen, but she held the Cajuns scoreless over the final four innings.
The Tigers (15-1) spread seven hits throughout the game. All four of their runs against four Cajuns’ pitchers were earned.
LSU also didn’t make an error and in the fourth inning the Tigers executed a key defensive play when Maddie Hayden was thrown out at home by second baseman Karli Petty as the Cajuns attempted a double steal.
The Cajuns were behind 2-1 at the time and LSU held off Louisiana until the Tigers’ catcher Maci Bergeron laced a two-run, two-out single in the sixth,
Bergeron, a freshman from Notre Dame-Crowley, was playing before a group of local spectators for the first time in her college career.
“”I think this game was really important for (Bergeron) and the hit really gave us a lift late in the game,” said Torino.
Louisiana, which handed LSU the Tigers’ only defeat of the season, gave up a key run in the fourth after the Cajuns grabbed a 1-0 third inning lead.
In the fourth Taylor Pleasants hit to deep center and as Louisiana center fielder Mihyia Davis leaped and opened her glove at the top of the fence, the ball moved into the stands for a two-run homer.
The Cajuns’ only run came in the half inning before that after designated player Sophie Piskos reached first on an infield hit and moved to third on a Kylei Griffin double. A Davis sacrifice fly to left field scored Piskos.
Louisiana, which started 2023 ranked No. 20, is now 9-6 after playing six teams in the Top 25.
“I think so far that we have shown our potential and the ability to win at a high level. Right now though, we are just having too many lapses,” Glasco said.
