No. 12 LSU Falls 5-1 to Ole Miss to Open Series

Photo By: LSUsports.net

Da Boot Sports
3/24/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Keonte Herrera


   OXFORD, Miss. – No. 12/15 LSU (24-6, 2-5 SEC) came up short against Ole Miss (19-12, 1-3 SEC), 5-1 Friday afternoon at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.Graduate pitcher Ali Kilponen (8-3) finished the day with three strikeouts in the loss. With her first strikeout of the day, Kilponen entered the top 10 in the program’s record book for most career strikeouts and currently ranks No. 9 all-time with 436 career punchouts. 

Junior infielder Raeleen Gutierrez led the offense going 2-for-3 at the plate, graduate infielder Karli Petty posted a double, and junior outfielder Ali Newland tacked on an RBI for the Tigers.

Ole Miss’ sophomore pitcher Catelyn Riley improved to 2-1 on the season, throwing two strikeouts, and allowed one run on five hits with three walks in 4.2 innings pitched.

Ole Miss scored three runs in the bottom of the third highlighted by a two-run double by freshman outfielder Jalia Lassiter.

After reaching on a fielder’s choice in the top of the fifth, junior infielder Danieca Coffey made her way around the bases and scored on a groundout, giving the Tigers their first run of the game. The Rebels responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame however, to increase their lead, 5-1. 

The Tigers left two Rebels stranded in the bottom of the sixth inning, and put a couple of runners on with back-to-back one-out singles from Coffey and junior outfielder Ciara Briggs in the seventh. The rally attempt came to a close after Newland reached on a fielder’s choice where Briggs was thrown out at second, and a lineout to third base ended the game.

​On Deck
LSU will play game two of the series against Ole Miss Saturday at 6 p.m.

---