The Memphis Softball team recorded four straight losses this past weekend at the LSU Invitational tournament in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The Memphis Softball team recorded four straight losses this past weekend at the LSU Invitational tournament in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, getting shut out in two of their games against opponents LSU, currently ranked No. 7 in the nation, and California State University Northridge.
This was a tough weekend for Memphis, who had just come away from the Florida Gulf Coast Invitational winning three of their four games. In their first game of the LSU Invitational last Friday, the team got shutout by CSUN, 2-0.
Although the Tigers struggled offensively in the game, recording zero hits and two walks, the Tigers defense played relatively well. Pitchers Karli Perque and Bayleigh Wisher had a good performance, allowing a combined three hits and recording seven strikeouts. Jillian James, a pitcher for CSUN, had her first career no-hitter against Memphis.
The Tigers were shutout again in their second game of the day against LSU with a final score of 0-4. Gracie Morton and Regan Hadley were able to record the only two hits in the game, and neither player could reach home. Mariah Nichols pitched the entire game, allowing eight hits and recording four strikeouts.Â
Shelbi Sunseri, the LSU pitcher, had a career-high ten strikeouts against the Tigers. Sunseri also recorded her eighth home run on the year in the game.
On Saturday, the Tigers played against Sanford and lost 5-1, although the team looked better offensively this time. The Tigers managed to get six hits, with Morton leading the team with two. Memphis’ only score came in the fourth inning from Hadley, who scored on a RBI-single by Ashton Stowe. Perque and Nichols each pitched one inning, while Wisher pitched in five. Wisher finished the game with two strikeouts and three hits. Stanford went on to record a perfect weekend at the LSU Invitational.
The Tigers also faced Michigan later that day, losing the game 4-2. Memphis recorded three hits against Michigan. Hadley had one hit in the second inning that gave Memphis a 1-0 lead, and freshman Ryleigh Aungst recorded her first home run of her college career in the seventh inning, cutting Michigan’s lead to 4-2. However, Michigan stopped a comeback from the Tigers with back-to-back outs. First, Madalyn Alexander pitched the first three innings for the Tigers, followed by Kailey Hilderbrand for two innings. Lastly, Nichols pitched the last two innings of the game. Hilderbrand recorded one strikeout, while Nichols allowed zero hits and recorded two strikeouts. The Michigan pitching corps allowed only two runs on three hits against Memphis and recorded 18 strikeouts.
The Tigers’ record is now 5-8 for the year, but conference play has not started yet, and the Tigers still have plenty of time to figure out any on-field issues they have. The team has their first home game of the season this week against Mississippi State this Wednesday night. The Bulldogs’ record is currently 10-4 after coming off a loss in their last game, and this is their first road game of the season. Hopefully, the Tigers can bounce back with the confidence of being at home.
