7th-inning rally not enough as LSU softball drops Game 1 at Auburn
The No. 12 Tigers were shut out for six innings and change in Friday night’s series opener on the road against No. 24 Auburn, but they got something going in the final frame.
LSU scored three runs on a pair of homers from Ali Newland and Karli Petty in the top of the seventh, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a five-run gap as AU took Game 1 by a score of 5-3.
Ali Kilponen got the start for the Tigers (33-9, 6-7 SEC) on the mound, and it wasn’t her best outing as she allowed seven hits and four runs, all of them earned. She did only issue one walk in four innings with four strikeouts, but she was credited with her fifth loss of the season.
Maddie Penta, meanwhile, got the win for AU (31-12, 8-5 SEC) in a complete-game performance. She allowed six hits but was nearly perfect until the final frame despite not getting a ton of run support after the first inning.
Lindsey Garcia got the scoring started for Auburn on a two-run homer in the bottom of the first, and KK McCrary added one on an RBI single in the fourth. However, the insurance the Tigers ultimately needed came on another two-run bomb in the fifth, this time courtesy of Nelia Peralta.
LSU will look to stay alive in the series in Game 2 on Saturday, which starts at 1 p.m. CT in Auburn, Alabama.
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