LSU Athletics
BATON ROUGE, La. – For the second time in three years, LSU is crowned the Baton Rouge Regional Champions and will advance to the 2026 NCAA Super Regionals after a come-from-behind victory over Virginia Tech, 7-2, on Sunday at Tiger Park.
LSU trailed 2-0 through two innings, but a four-spot in the third sparked seven unanswered runs to send the Fighting Tigers to Supers. The rally was ignited by Jalia Lassiter’s solo shot and Maci Bergeron’s two-run go-ahead single in the third. It was Bergeron’s second game-winning hit in as many games. The four-year LSU Tiger finished the regional round with a .600 batting average behind six hits, including a home run, and had four RBI after going 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI on Sunday.
No. 18 LSU improves to 40-17 this season, marking the club’s fourth consecutive 40-win season, and will make its 11th Super Regional appearance. The Tigers are now 69-33 all-time in the NCAA Regionals and have 13 regional championship titles – nine under Head Coach Beth Torina. Virginia Tech concludes its season with a 48-12 record.
“I want to say congratulations to Virginia Tech on an incredible season. I can hardly remember an opponent that was that classy and that well put together,” said Head Coach Beth Torina. “They do what they do at a really high level. They just win softball games. It was an incredible year for them, and they’re an honorable opponent.
“I don’t even know where to start on our team,” Coach Torina continued. “I’m so proud of this entire group. I’m proud of their growth and the senior leadership. Every time our senior class decides that it’s time to go, those are the ones that go the best. This senior class has been incredible this weekend. There are so many cool stories in here, too – the day that Alix Franklin had, the weekend Maci Bergeron had, Jalia [Lassiter] always has a good weekend. Paytn Monticelli’s story – it makes me feel super emotional to think about what she just did out there and the journey that took her to LSU. Avery Hodge isn’t up here, but our senior class was incredible in making this happen. It was a total team effort. We executed the plan beautifully. We knew the plan was not going to be won in one moment, but by death by a thousand cuts. We did exactly that, pressure throughout the whole weekend. I couldn’t be prouder of this team, and I’m excited for what’s in front of us.”
Alix Franklin (3-for-4) matched a career-high three hits and scored two runs in the win, and Lassiter joined Bergeron with two hits, a run, and two ribbies.
Paytn Monticelli improves to 9-3 in the circle, claiming her sixth consecutive win as the pitcher of record. Monticelli struck out two batters in the game and allowed five hits, one earned run, and one walk in 3.0 innings. Monticelli and company retired the final 16 batters faced, beginning with the last out of the second inning.
Virginia Tech’s starting pitcher, Bree Carrico, falls to 15-2 on the season after giving up four runs on eight hits and walking one in 2.2 innings. She had no strikeouts on the day.
The Hokies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first two innings. A leadoff double by Addison Foster, followed by an RBI single from Jordan Lynch, gave VT an early 1-0 advantage in the first inning, and the Hokies manufactured another run in the second inning, a two-out run-scoring single by Foster, to take a 2-0 lead.
LSU broke through in the top of the third inning with four runs on five hits and forced a pitching change. Lassiter put the Tigers on the board with a leadoff home run for her ninth homer of the season, and Bergeron hit a two-run go-ahead single through the left side that put LSU on top, 3-2. Ally Hutchins drove in the fourth run on a bloop single down the right field line to give LSU a 4-2 lead.
The Tigers’ defense did not allow a single baserunner for the remainder of the game, and the offense continued to provide run support. LSU added two runs in the fifth for a 6-2 margin. After Char Lorenz and Hutchins opened the inning with walks, Lassiter hit a RBI single to the shortstop, and Sierra Daniel was credited with an RBI on a fielder’s choice for the four-run lead.
Adding extra insurance, Franklin hit a leadoff double down the right field line, and Tori Edwards singled through the left side. Three batters later, Franklin scored an unearned run thanks to a fielding error, pushing the lead to the eventual final score, 7-2.
Up Next
LSU will take on the nation’s top seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, Alabama, which won the Tuscaloosa Regional. The best-of-three series will take place on May 21-24 at Rhoads Stadium.
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