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ATHENS, Ga. – Freshman pitcher Jayden Heavener threw her fifth shutout of the season and was provided run support by her offense as No. 10/9 LSU advances to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament with a 5-0 victory over No. 17/18 Mississippi State Wednesday morning at Jack Turner Stadium.
With Heavener’s fifth shutout of the season, she is tied at No. 8 in program history among freshmen in a single season (Allie Walljasper, 2015).
In the one-hit, complete game shutout, Heavener fired 104 pitches, struck out eight batters and gave up no walks.
LSU (41-13) allowed Mississippi State’s (37-17) first baserunner in the fourth on a hit-by-pitch, but the defense recorded outs for the next three batters and continued to dominate, retiring 21 of the game’s 23 batters.
Mississippi State pitcher Raelin Chaffin (21-9) was charged with the loss after tallying seven strikeouts and allowing five runs on seven hits with two walks in 5.2 innings.
The bottom of the lineup led the charge early, batting 4-for-7 with three runs and two RBI through four innings to build its 5-0 lead.
The Tigers finished with nine hits, including a trio of multi-hit performers. Outfielder Jalia Lassiter was 2-for-4 with two RBI, and infielders Sierra Daniel and Tori Edwards were 2-for-3 with one run scored. Infielder Avery Hodge (1-2, BB) matched Lassiter’s team-high two RBI.
Heavener opened the game with four consecutive strikeouts and had five total with no walks through the opening three innings as the defensive unit retired the first nine batters.
In the second inning, a hit-by-pitch, a walk, and a single to left field by outfielder Jadyn Laneaux loaded the bases with no outs.
Two batters later, designated player Maddox McKee hit a comebacker that hit off the pitcher, scoring the first run of the game, and an RBI walk for Hodge, followed by a two-run single by Lassiter put the Tigers ahead 4-0.
After a scoreless third, Daniel got things going in the fourth with a leadoff double, and Hodge followed with a double down the right-field line for her second RBI of the game, extending the Tigers’ lead. 5-0.
Once MSU got its first base runner in the bottom of the fourth and its lone single in the fifth, the LSU defense retired its final seven batters faced to seal the game.
Up Next
LSU advances to the quarterfinals, where it will face the SEC regular season champions, top-seeded Oklahoma, at 10 a.m. CT on Thursday, May 8.
LSU trails Oklahoma in the all-time series 8-11 and is 2-5 in neutral-site games. LSU has dropped the last two games against Oklahoma, including a 3-0 loss in 2023 at Tiger Park.
The Tigers’ last win over the Sooners was a pair of wins in 2015 in Baton Rouge.
More LSU News:
LSU Football Wide Receiver Donating NIL Money Back to High School for Title Rings
LSU Football Holds Commitments From a Pair of Top-10 Wide Receivers in America
Brian Kelly's Take: LSU Football Searching for Ideal Starting Offensive Line Rotation
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