by Matt Dunaway, Associate Sports Information Director
TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 23 LSU softball team dropped 6-4 and 5-0 decisions to No. 10 Arizona State Sunday in the finals of the NCAA Tempe Regional at Farrington Stadium.
The Sun Devils (44-17) advance to face North Dakota State in the Super Regional round as Hillary Bach tossed a pair of complete games en route to Regional MVP honors. Kirsten Shortridge and Ashley Langoni represented LSU on the All-Regional Team.
“When you only have to win one game and it gets to the deciding game the big momentum goes back to the other dugout,” head coach Yvette Girouard said. “The players battled in that first game and it’s a little disappointing that we didn't adjust in the second game. Bach deserves all the credit. If you look back at the injuries we had during the season, there’s a ton of positives that can be taken from being an eyelash away from getting to a super regional.”
Trailing 6-3 with one out in the seventh inning of the first game, Shortridge ripped a double into the right centerfield gap to start a rally for LSU (34-18-1). Pinch hitter Courtney Hollier drew a walk and a passed ball allowed Shortridge to move to third base.
Rachel Mitchell knocked a deep fly ball on a 2-1 pitch to centerfield, but ASU’s Kaitlin Cochran made the catch on the back of the warning track against the wall. Shortridge tagged up and scored on the play to make it 6-4. Juliana Santos grounded out into a fielder’s choice for the game’s final out.
Arizona State grabbed a 2-0 edge as Krista Donnenwirth connected on a two-out, two-run home run in the first inning.
The Tigers responded behind the first of two homers by Langoni in the second inning and evened the score at 2-2 when Anissa Young was hit-by-a-pitch with the bases loaded in the third.
ASU retook the lead on a pair of runs in the home half of the frame aided by three hits, including RBIs from Ashley Muenz and Katelyn Boyd. A two-out RBI-single by Taylor Haro in the fifth inning pushed the Sun Devils advantage to 5-2.
Langoni belted her second homer of the game with one out in the sixth inning. She became the first Tiger since Killian Roessner against Southern Miss in 2008 to knock two homers in a game.
Donnenwirth capped a 3-for-4 game with her third RBI in the bottom half of the inning to push the ASU lead back to 6-3.
ASU jumped out to a 2-0 advantage in the first inning of the second game aided by a Castillo RBI-single and a Donnenwirth sacrifice fly.
The Sun Devils stretched its lead to 3-0 as Boyd opened the fourth inning with a solo home run. Jessica Mapes tacked on a RBI-single and Donnenwirth added her fifth RBI in two games on a ground ball to make it 5-0.
Bach pitched her second complete game of the day, a two-hitter, to improve to 28-9 on the season.
“I know this feeling is going to stick with everybody for a long time,” Shortridge said. “It was a golden opportunity. Sometimes, things don't go your way and you don't execute. We just have to work harder and get ready for next season.”
