| It looked for a brief moment that LSU was going to get out of it. Tigers pitcher Griffin Herring loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth against Alabama with two two-out walks and a hit batter as LSU clung to a 7-6 lead. Then the next Alabama player, William Hamiter, hit a swinging bunt halfway between home plate and the pitcher's mount. Catcher Alex Milazzo ran out, fielded it and looked like he would get Hamiter out at first and end the game. But his throw was wide of the bag. Two Bama runs scored on the error and LSU was saddled with a shocking, devastating 8-7 loss. Afterward, LSU coach Jay Johnson appealed, citing runner's interference, but was denied. He decried a quick video review, questioning whether it was even looked at by SEC officials in nearby Birmingham. Maybe Johnson had a beef with the call and review. But if I've learned one thing about controversial calls in 35 years of sportswriting, it's this: If you put yourself in position to get shafted by the officials, you might get shafted by the officials. Ultimately, though, LSU (32-19, 9-16 SEC) has put itself in this position time and again. It's understandable that a competitor like Johnson would seek out a call on which to vent his frustration, but the painful truth is that the Tigers have done themselves in with a lack of clutch pitches and clutch hits this season to have almost no margin for error in their hopes to even earn an NCAA Tournament bid. At this point, it looks like LSU has to win four of its last five against Bama and next week at home against Ole Miss to even have a chance. Frankly, I don't think the Tigers have shown much evidence of doing that. Game two of the LSU-Bama series in Tuscaloosa is at 4 p.m. today, so we'll see how the must-must-must win Tigers fare. The results were almost as bitter on the other side of Alabama as the LSU softball team lost 2-1 in eight innings to Missouri in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament. On balance, though, it's been a much better season filled with many more clutch moments for the softball Tigers (40-15), who return home to await their NCAA fate. Still possessing a No. 3 RPI entering Friday's game, LSU is a virtual lock to be a softball regional host. The only question is whether the Tigers have done enough to secure a top-eight national seed, which would allow them to host a super regional if they advance. We'll find out when the NCAA's 64-team is revealed at 6 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2. Meanwhile, check out the LSU players that landed on the All-SEC softball team. In other LSU news, Haleigh Bryant's trophy case is getting pretty crowded. The NCAA all-around champion on Friday won the Honda Award for gymnastics, basically the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy in women's gymnastics. She earlier won the AAI Award, given to the nation's top senior gymnast. The Honda puts Bryant in line to win another major award and in direct competition with former Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark. Read all about that right here. Finally, the SEC track and field championships are in full swing over in Gainesville, Florida. As usual, LSU is piling up the qualifiers. That's all for today, folks. Thanks as always for reading and subscribing. You know there is no better, more comprehensive source for LSU sports coverage than The Advocate and The Times-Picayune. Tell a friend, though maybe you want to wait until the LSU baseball team wins again. Have a great sports weekend, Scott Rabalais | 