BATON ROUGE, La. – The Warhawks brought the tying run to the plate in seventh inning, but the #2 LSU Tigers held on to take a 3-7 victory on Tuesday night at Tiger Park.
The Warhawks (24-9) took an early first inning lead with a two-RBI single from sophomore Vanessa Garcia, but the Tigers (33-3) would pick up seven runs off seven hits to retake the lead.
The Warhawks loaded the bases in the seventh inning and brough the tying run to the plate, but the last-inning rally was not enough to overtake the Tigers.
The Warhawks out hit the Tiger nine hits to seven, as LSU ranks as one of the top-hitting teams in the nation.
Junior Faith Bohack went 2-for-4 on the day with one RBI and scoring a run to add to the Warhawk offense.
Sophomore Melanie Coyne got the start in the circle as she went three innings, giving up six runs on six hits. Coyne was charged with the loss and moves to 9-5 on the season.
Senior Jessica Collver and freshman Paige Porter combined for three innings of relief, allowing just one hit, one run and striking out two.
The Warhawks started the game hot with Bohack and redshirt senior Miyuki Navarrete knocking back-to-back, one-out doubles to put runners at second and third.
After the Tigers picked up an out in foul territory, junior Amye Barre loaded the bases with two outs after taking a pitch off her foot.
Garcia delivered a two-out double to left center field to bring home two runs and give the Warhawks an early 2-0 lead.
LSU used three walks to load the bases with two-outs in the bottom of the first, but the Warhawk defense held strong and stranded the runners.
The Tigers knocked a one-out double down the left field line in the bottom of the second to record their first hit. A two-out walk and steal put runners on the corners for LSU.
Bailey Landry knocked a single up the middle to bring home two and lock the game at a 2-all tie through two innings.
LSU took a 2-3 lead with a third-inning, lead off home run to center field from Sahvanna Jaquish. The Tigers used three hits, an error and a walk to load the bases with two outs to score three more runs to give LSU a 6-2 lead through three innings.
Colliver made her 18th relief appearance on the season as she retired the first six batters she face, but the Tigers would add one run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly.
The Warhawks would not go now quietly as they used three straight singles to lead off the seventh inning and cut the lead to 3-7. The Warhawks loaded the bases with one-out to bring the tying run to the plate, but the Tiger defense held strong to take the game.
The Warhawks return to conference play on Friday, April 3-4 as they travel to Troy, Ala., to face the Trojans in a three-game series.
For the latest on ULM softball, visit ULMWarhawks.com and follow the team on Twitter (@ULM_Softball) and Facebook (facebook.com/ULMSoftball).
