BATON ROUGE — The eighth-ranked LSU softball team mowed down Jackson State as the Tiger bats came alive to sweep a doubleheader from the Lady Tigers, 8-0 and 8-0 in five innings, on Wednesday evening at Tiger Park.
With the sweep, LSU improved to 22-7 overall, while Jackson State fell to 3-18 on the season.
Camille Harris combined to go 4-for-5 from the plate with a home run, four RBIs, three runs scored and a walk. Leigh Ann Danos went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a home run. She recorded four RBIs and a run scored for a team-best 1.600 slugging percentage.
“Some people who haven’t gotten to play a lot, played tonight and did a very good job,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “You have to take the opportunity when the opportunity is presented to you. Good for those people who got a chance to play and did well. We have some good things here. Those bats that have gone dead on us are maybe going to be on the bench. They know that, the bottom line is the people who hit are going to play.
“Camille is making a statement for herself,” Girouard continued. “She is swinging the bat and she brings a lot of intangibles to our lineup because she is so quick. She has a ton of talent. Leigh Ann is another one who did well tonight. She is so capable of tearing the cover off of the ball, but she has been hurt.”
In the first game, Schmidt recorded her second complete-game no-hitter and third overall no-no of the year to improve to 12-6 on the year. She was two walks from a perfect game, facing just two batters over the minimum. For the game, she struck out 12 of the 17 batters she faced, her third straight double-figure strikeout performance.
Tessa Lynam was one seeing-eye single in the second inning of game two from a perfect game, improving to 10-1 on the season. She tied her career high with 11 strikeouts and faced just one over the minimum.
LSU broke through with a run in the bottom of the first inning of the first game. Harris led off with walk. After she stole second, she advanced to third on a groundout by Sara Fitzgerald and scored on an error by the first baseman.
The Tigers added a pair in the bottom of the third inning. With one out, Lauren Delahoussaye hit an infield single. Harris then hit her second home run of the season to extend the LSU lead to 3-0.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Tigers got another run. With two outs, Julie Wiese singled then stole second. She scored on an RBI double by Danos.
Four runs in the bottom of the fourth gave LSU the eight-run rule victory.
Delahoussaye led off the inning with a single through the left side. She advanced to second on a wild pitch. With one out, Fitzgerald doubled to left centerfield, scoring Delahoussaye from second. A single up the middle by Christy Connor scored Fitzgerald before a double by Lynam put runners on second and third. The game ended on a two-RBI double by Alicia Owen that scored Connor and Lynam.
In the second game, The Tiger put things away with eight runs in the third inning. On a bunt base hit by Harris, the catcher overthrew first base, allowing Harris to come all the way around and score on the play. After a single by Fitzgerald, Connor was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. A single by Lynam scored Fitzgerald from second for the 2-0 lead.
Connor and Lynam then advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. With one out, Connor scored and Lynam moved to third on an error by the leftfielder on a fly ball by Wiese. With runners on second and third, Danos nailed her second home run of the season down the left field line for the 6-0 advantage.
Blair Smith then walked before Delahoussaye singled and advanced to second on an error by the shortstop, moving Smith to third. Both Smith and Delahoussaye then scored on a single by Harris to give the Tigers the 8-0 lead.
LSU now travels to face No. 11 Georgia in Athens, Ga., for a three-game Southeastern Conference series. The Tigers will battle the east-leading Bulldogs in a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at noon CT before the final game on Sunday at noon CT.
“This is an obvious opponent that we should run rule, but when we are locked in we are focused good things happened,” said Girouard. “We just need to swing at good pitches. We’ve got a big mountain to climb this weekend. We’ve got some Georgia Bulldogs with their teeth ready for us but we’re going to have the Tigers ready for them. We’re in for a battle.”