LAS VEGAS — Christy Connor went 4-for-4 with four RBI as LSU won its seventh consecutive game overall by beating California at Riverside, 6-1, on Saturday afternoon at the Desert Breeze Softball Complex on the second day of the UNLV Classic.
Connors improved to 7-for-8 at the plate with a double, two home runs and nine RBI in the first three games of the tournament. With four walks, she’s reached base in 11 of 12 plate appearances.
Sarah Meadors (2-0) was solid on the mound, allowing no runs on two hits in six innings of work while striking out four and walking only one. Leslie Barron closed the game by pitching the seventh inning against the Highlanders (2-7).
The Tigers (8-1) struck first in the second inning when Julie Wiese led off with a double. After a pair of batters failed to advance her, Jennie Reeves drew a walk to put runners at first and second. With Alishia Perry at the plate, Wiese stole third and LSU then executed a double steal that brought Wiese home as Reeves advanced toward second.
LSU kept the pressure on in the third when April Janzen singled and stole second to start the inning. Janzen came home on a Connor single to left to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
In the fourth, Perry and Trena Peel led off with a pair of singles. Perry, who advanced to second on defensive indifference, came around to score on Peel’s single. After a walk by Janzen, Connor singled to right to score Perry from second. Janzen was tagged out at the home plate on the play.
LSU tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning on a two-RBI single by Connor.
UC-Riverside’s lone run came in the seventh when the Highlanders earned three singles in four at bats to score pinch runner Dawn Livramento.
LSU continues play at the UNLV Softball Classis against No. 5 California at 7:30 p.m. CST on Saturday. The completes play at the Classic on Sunday against No. 2 UCLA. The team with the best record over the five-game stretch is declared the champion.
LAS VEGAS — All-American Jocelyn Forest threw a four-hit shutout as the No. 5 California Golden Bears beat the No. 4-ranked LSU softball team, 3-0, in the nightcap of the UNLV Softball Classic at the Desert Breeze Softball Complex in Las Vegas on Saturday.
The loss ended a seven-game winning streak by the Tigers (8-2), whose only loses have come to the highly ranked Golden Bears and the No. 19 DePaul Blue Devils. Cal improved to 8-4 overall including 4-0 in tournament play.
Forest (3-2) allowed only four hits in seven innings of work while walking only one and striking out eight, including the first five LSU batter of the game.
LSU starting pitcher Kristen Schmidt (3-1), who struckout 14 in a victory over Texas Tech on Friday, pitched 3 1/3 innings and allowed all three runs on six hits while walking two and striking out two.
Cal started fast against LSU’s All-America transfer from Notre Dame, scoring two in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, Kristen Morley singled to left and was driven in by a Candice Harper triple past a diving Alishia Perry on the left field line. After an intentional walk to Veronica Nelson, Courtney Scott doubled to left for a 2-0 lead.
The lead was more than enough for Forest, as the Tigers didn’t get a runner past second base until the final out of the game.
LSU senior All-American Britni Sneed came on in relief of Schmidt in the fourth after Cal’s Jessica Vernaglia and Jessica Pamanian singled to put runners on first and second. Sneed’s wild pitch moved runners up a base before Kaleo Eldridge singled to score Vernaglia from third.
Sneed pitched 2 2/3 innings, allowing only one hit while striking out five without a walk.
In the top 7th, LSU rallied to put two runners on base against Forest, as Julie Wiese knocked a one-out single and Erin Johnson put runners on the corners with two outs. Freshman pinch hitter Leigh Ann Danos popped out to first baseman to end the threat.
Erin Johnson collected two of the Tigers’ four hits and was 2-for-3 on the evening.
The Tigers complete play at the UNLV Softball Classic on Sunday at 2 p.m. CST when they take on undefeated and second-ranked UCLA (13-0).