If the Arizona Wildcats could put it all together, they could be one of the best teams in the country. The offense has been carrying the team for most of the season. The pitching has been very solid the past two games only to have that offense disappear. This time it resulted in a 3-1 loss to LSU in Baton Rouge.
Jalen Adams threw a complete game. She allowed just three hits, but three walks and three hit batters came back to haunt her. The hit batters have been an issue all season. She now has 23
in 111.1 innings pitched.
Her counterpart, LSU righthander Cece Cellura, gave up seven hits but only walked one in seven innings. She didn’t have a baserunner until the third inning and only surrendered one extra-base hit. She allowed six runners to reach scoring position but stranded five of them.
LSU took the early lead with just one base hit. Adams hit the leadoff in the bottom of the first. Kylee Edwards came up with one on and one out. She hit the ball to the right corner. Right fielder Grace Jenkins was in the area, but she didn’t appear to make a great read and it went over her head. She then had difficulty getting it back in. It was an RBI triple for Edwards. With just one out, a sacrifice fly was all it took to put the second run on the board for LSU.
Adams locked down for the next two innings, sitting the Tigers down in order. She had another 1-2-3 inning in the fifth. She loaded the bases with one out in the fourth, but a popout and a fielder’s choice ended the threat.
It was turnabout for LSU. Cellura walked Sydney Stewart to lead off the inning. Arizona moved her to third with two groundouts, but the third groundout ended the inning without a run for the Wildcats.
Arizona finally broke through in the sixth, but it took some help from LSU. Stewart popped up onto the infield for what should have been the second out. First baseman Tori Edwards misplayed the ball and Stewart reached second. Tele Jennings legged out an infield single that moved Stewart to third. Jenkins knocked her in with a sacrifice fly.
LSU responded. Adams allowed two to reach on one-out singles, but it looked like she would get out of it when she got the second out. Then the hit-by-pitch reared its head for the third time in the game.
Adams hit Char Lorenz to load the bases then walked in a run. LSU had an insurance run and Arizona had just three outs to work with.
Two quick flyouts by the Wildcats made their chances slim. Then, Addison Duke came up with a single. Regan Shockey and Sereniti Trice followed with two more singles to load the bases.
Arizona had been using Tayler Biehl in the 3-hole, but head coach Caitlin Lowe shook up the lineup again this time around. Stewart was back in a traditional three spot. Jennings was cleanup and Jenkins hit in the five. That meant Stewart had the chance to put the Wildcats on top.
It didn’t work out. Arizona’s best hitter flied out to right field to end the game.
The Wildcats will try to avoid the sweep on Sunday at 9 a.m. MST. The game will air on ESPN.
