BATON ROUGE — Kristin Schmidt was named Pitcher of the Week by the Louisiana Sports Writer’s Association as the No. 8/No. 10-ranked LSU softball team hosts a doubleheader with Jackson State on Wednesday beginning at 5:30 p.m. in Tiger Park.
The Tigers (20-7) are coming off a Southeastern Conference split at No. 14 South Carolina last weekend. Jackson State (3-14) has not played since going 0-5 at the Purple & Gold Challenge in Baton Rouge at the beginning of March.
“We always welcome the chance to play midweek games,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “It gives us a chance to swing the bat and experiment, even at this point in the season, with how we want the team to look. And I know that if you ask the players, they will tell you it is always better to play than it is to practice.”
Schmidt went 1-1 last week with a mid-week win over Nicholls State and a 10-inning loss to South Carolina. In 18.2 innings pitched, the junior from Houston posted a 0.00 earned run average. She tied a career-high with 14 strikeouts in a nine-inning win over Nicholls State and then followed that with 10 strikeouts in a 3-2 extra-inning loss to South Carolina.
The Tigers have defeated Jackson State twice this season, both in the Purple & Gold Challenge. LSU is now 3-0 all-time against the Lady Tigers. All wins have come by run-rule, including a 10-0 win by the Tigers in 2001 in the Tiger Classic.
In the first meeting against Jackson State this season, LSU won 19-0 in five innings, breaking the school record for RBIs in a game and tying the school records for runs, hits and doubles in a game. Sophomore Leigh Ann Danos tied the record for hits in a game with a 4-for-4 performance, including two doubles, one RBI and two runs scored.
Sophomore Tessa Lynam recorded the first complete-game no-hitter of her career against the Lady Tigers. She allowed just three base runners while striking out 11 batters in five innings of work. In addition, she went 4-for-5 at the plate with three doubles, five RBIs and four runs scored, tying the school records for hits, runs and doubles in a game.
In the second meeting, LSU came back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat Jackson State 9-1 in six innings. Jackson State took the lead in the top of the first inning. The Lady Tigers loaded the bases on a walk and two bloop singles. Lynam then hit a batter to send in the first run, the only run Jackson State has scored against LSU in three all-time meetings
The Tigers took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the second inning. LSU used a hit batter, an error and a sacrifice fly to put up two runs and take the lead for good, 2-1.
With LSU still clinging to a one-run lead in the bottom of the sixth, the Tigers erupted for seven runs to complete the run-rule of Jackson State. Danos recorded the first home run of her career to end the game, capping a seven-run inning. LSU used three walks, a single, a double, a sacrifice fly, a squeeze bunt and the home run to put the game away.
In the two previous meetings this season, Danos combined to go 6-for-7 (.833) with two doubles, a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored for a 1.667 slugging percentage. Camille Harris went 3-for-4 (.750) with a triple, an RBI and three runs scored, while Lynam recorded a .714 batting average (5-for-7) with four doubles, six RBIs and six runs scored for a 1.286 slugging percentage.
LSU will return to SEC action this weekend on the road at No. 12 Georgia, the first of two consecutive SEC road series. The Tigers will face the East-leading Bulldogs in a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. ET and in a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.