No. 20 LSU Softball Falls 5-2 To No. 17 Mississippi State To Drop Series

By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter

No. 20 LSU softball’s 5-2 loss to No. 17 Mississippi State on Saturday afternoon looked all too familiar, especially for the Tigers.

It was more of the same for LSU. Beth Torina’s squad got off to a rocky start in the circle, surrendering five runs in the first inning before settling in, forcing the Tigers to play from behind for the second straight game. LSU also left eight runners on base, continuing a trend of missed opportunities with runners in scoring position.

With the loss, LSU falls to 32-16 overall and 9-11 in SEC play, while Mississippi State improves to 36-14 and 8-12 in conference action.

Junior pitcher Cece Cellura (6-5) was charged with the loss after allowing five runs, four earned, on eight hits, including two home runs in the first inning, across six innings. She struck out five and walked one.

Senior outfielder Jalia Lassiter led off the top of the seventh with a single to center, but LSU once again came up empty to end the game, a recurring issue as of late.

The Tigers also had a chance to add on in the sixth but stranded runners yet again. LSU put the leadoff batter on in the third when senior catcher Maci Bergeron was hit by a pitch, but three straight strikeouts ended the threat.

Senior infielder Avery Hodge led off the third with an infield single, and junior shortstop Kylee Edwards later walked to put runners on first and second with two outs. LSU capitalized, as sophomore outfielder Alix Franklin singled to center to score Lassiter from second and cut the deficit to 5-2. But with a chance to do more damage, sophomore first baseman Tori Edwards struck out, leaving two runners stranded.

No. 20 up the middle 👏

Alix brings us closer with a clutch two-out single 🫡 pic.twitter.com/ocSTYgc2by

— LSU Softball (@LSUsoftball) April 25, 2026

Cellura settled in after the first, tossing her second straight scoreless inning in the third. Both teams were quiet in the second inning.

When it looked like LSU might have momentum, Mississippi State struck early. Cellura allowed back-to-back singles to open the game, and a three-run homer to left-center gave the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead. A fielding error by junior infielder Sierra Daniel allowed another runner to reach, and Mississippi State followed with a two-run shot to extend the lead to 5-1 heading into the second inning.

After a frustrating end to Friday’s game, LSU came out swinging. In the second at-bat of the game, Daniel launched a solo home run to right field to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. It was her third of the season.

SIERRA WITH THE SHOT AND THE TIGER ASSIST 🤝

📺 SECN+ | @Sierrad0303 pic.twitter.com/WME1sSoq6g

— LSU Softball (@LSUsoftball) April 25, 2026

Up Next

LSU looks to avoid the sweep on Sunday at 11 a.m.