BATON ROUGE — Western Michigan scored four runs in the first inning en route to a 5-2 win over Jackson State in the first game of the LSU Tiger Classic on Friday afternoon.
Wendy Cannon got the rally started with a single to center and moved to second on Heather Frederick’s single to right field. After a fielder’s choice left runners on first and second, Marie McCarthy singled to load the bases.
Gina Dobbs then singled home Frederick and Jenn Dilley, who had reached on the fielder’s choice, for a 2-0 lead. Holly Seales follwed that with a double to right-centerfield that scored two more runs.
The Lady Tigers rallied with two runs in the top of the second to cut the lead in half. Makida Zackery singled to right and moved to second when Tiki Ford was hit by a Cannon pitch. After a pass ball moved the runners to second and third, Keisha Harvey reached on a wild pitch on strike three.
With the bases loades, Delaney MacLean fouled out to third, but Dilley’s momentum carried her into the dugout and out of play, allowing all three runners to advance. After a strike out, Tamara Vangoss knocked a two-out single that scored Ford.
The Broncos added their other run in the fifth inning for the final outcome.
LSU and Jackson State began the second game of the tournament at approxomately 2:30 p.m.
BATON ROUGE — Sarah Meadors, Kristen Schmidt and Leslie Barron combined to pitch a one-hitter as LSU cruised past Jackson State, 10-0, in its season opener.
The game, which lasted just five innings, was the second of the day at the LSU Tiger Classic being held at Tiger Park this weekend.
LSU broke the game open in the second inning with a seven-run outburst. The inning was capped off by a Julie Wiese two-run homer that scored Tessa Lynam who had reached on a triple. Lynam’s three-bagger scored Peel and April Janzen.
The Tigers got on the board in the first when Trena Peel was hit by a pitch, stole second, advanced to third on a fielder’s choice and then scored on Christy Connor’s sacrifice fly.
In the second, Blair Smith walked with one out and moved to second when Jennie Reeves singled to center field. Perry singled, bunt; Reeves advanced to second; Smith advanced to third. Peel hit by pitch, RBI; Perry advanced to second; Reeves advanced to third; Smith scored. Janzen singled to left center, advanced to second on the throw, 2 RBI; Peel advanced to third; Perry scored; Reeves scored.
After a first-inning single by Rose Ramirez, LSU shut the door on the Lady Tigers offense. Ramirez was the only Jackson State runner of the game as the three LSU pitchers did not walk a batter while striking out seven.
BATON ROUGE — Saskia Roberson’s two-run home run in the fourth inning was the difference in a pitching duel on Friday evening as DePaul downed Northwestern State, 3-0, in each team’s first game in the Tiger Classic.
The Blue Demons, who have been to two of the past three Women’s College World Series’, rode a one-hit shutout by Lindsay Chouinard to victory.
To open the top of the fourth inning, Sarah Martz singled to right field. After Liz Bouck moved Martz to second on a sacrifice bunt, Roberson took Crista Miller deep over the left-center field wall.
DePaul tacked on a third run in the top of the seventh inning when Dana Kenney scored on a wild play that featured two Northwestern State errors. April Valdez grounded to Miller who overthrew Lindsay Leftwich, allowing Kenney to move to third.
Trying to score, Kenney would have been out at the plate, but Krystle Nichols couldn’t handle throw from Lindsey Danzy and the lead extended to 3-0.
Chouinard did not allow a walk while striking out 10 in the game. Only two Demon players reached base, but neither was able to advance past first base. Shay Hunt singled in the third, but was called out for leaving early in the next at bat.
Leftwich was hit by a pitch in the fifth, but no one was able to move her as the next two batters struck out.
BATON ROUGE — Despite eight strikeouts by LSU sophomore Kristin Schmidt in relief, DePaul exploded for five runs in the second inning and added three more in the fourth to lead the No. 19 Blue Demons past No. 4 LSU, 8-4, on Friday evening at Tiger Park.
LSU (1-1) will face Northwestern State at 2 p.m. and Western Michigan at 6 p.m. on Saturday before championship play begins on Sunday. DePaul improves to 2-0 after a 3-0 win over Northwestern State earlier in the day.
Senior Trena Peel led off the bottom of the first inning for LSU with a triple, but was caught in a rundown trying to score on a single by Sara Fitzgerald on the next play. DePaul secondbaseman Liz Bouck overthrew first base trying for a double play that allowed Fitzgerald to score from second base.
In the bottom of the first inning, the Blue Demons used a pair of doubles by Gina Ramacci and April Valdez to take the lead, 2-1. DePaul then loaded the bases on a missed fielder’s choice opportunity by LSU and a walk.
A second fielder’s choice scored Valdez before Britni Sneed walked in another run. An RBI single by Shavaughne Desecki put the Blue Demons up 5-1. Sneed was replaced by Schmidt who got out of the inning with a double play.
Althought Schmidt continued to dominate from the circle, the Tiger defense faltered in the fourth inning and allowed three more Blue Demon runs to score. With two outs and one on base, LSU committed four straight errors before Schmidt was able to close out the inning with a strikeout with DePaul leading 8-1.
LSU was able to get one run in the fourth inning. Christy Connor reached first on an error by DePaul leftfielder Molly Sircher. Tessa Lynam doubled her around to third before she scored on an error by DePaul third baseman Katy Kukman.
The Tigers also added a run in the sixth inning, when pinch hitter Erin Johnson doubled in Lynam, who led off the inning with a single.
BATON ROUGE — Angie Fiero doubles home Mary McCloskey to score the lone run in a 10-inning battle on Friday night as Western Michigan outlasted Northwestern State, 1-0, in the Tiger Classic.
Leah Seffernick went the distance for the Broncos without allowing a run as she scattered six hits. She struck out six while walking just one. Not to be out done, the Demon’s Loni Rasberry went 9 2/3 innings giving up just seven hits with no walks and nine strike outs.
Northwestern State had a chance to score in the top of the ninth, but Nicole Martin was thrown out at home trying to score from second on a fielder’s choice.
The Tiger Classic resumes on Saturday at 10 a.m. when Jackson State faces DePaul. LSU begins action at 2 p.m. when it faces Northwestern State.