BATON ROUGE — Four home runs, including an inside-the-park homer by LaDonia Hughes, sparked the 14th-ranked LSU softball team to a pair of wins in the first day of the Tiger Classic at Tiger Park on Friday.
In the season opener, the Tigers run-ruled Centenary, 9-0, in five innings. LSU came back to defeat Illinois, which is receiving votes in the Top 25 poll, 7-3.
The Tigers will take on Oklahoma at 1:30 p.m. on Cox Sports Television (Baton Rouge cable channel 37) at 1:30 p.m. LSU will then close out the day against Southeastern Louisiana at 5:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on KLSU 91.1 FM.
An inside-the-park home run and a triple by Hughes led the Tigers to a run-rule win over Centenary in five innings in the opener. For the game, Hughes went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. After an out in her first at-bat, she singled in her second plate appearance. She rounded the bases in her third at-bat, recording a triple and scoring on an error by the left fielder. In her final at-bat, she recorded her first career home run, beating out a throw at the plate from left field.
Freshman Emily Turner recorded the complete game shutout, allowing two hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in five innings. Leslie Klein and Sara Fitzgerald each went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and an RBI. Lauren Castle also posted a 2-for-4 performance with an RBI.
The Tigers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning. With one out, Leigh Ann Danos drew a walk before Lauren Uhle came in to pinch run for her. Fitzgerald then doubled and advanced to third on an error as Uhle scored. A Castle single scored Fitzgerald from third for the 2-0 lead.
Leslie Klein then reached on an error by the third baseman, moving Castle to second. On a double steal, Castle was thrown out as Klein advanced to second. A single to right field by Hughes scored Klein from second for the 3-0 advantage.
With one out in the fourth, Hughes tripled to left field and scored on an error by the left fielder to run the LSU lead to 4-0. The Tigers then erupted for five runs in the fifth inning. With one out, Fitzgerald singled down the left field line. After an infield single by Castle, Klein doubled to center field, scoring Fitzgerald from second. The inside-the-park home run by Hughes to right field scored Castle and Klein to run the score to 8-0.
Julie Wiese recorded an infield single. With two outs, Turner reached on an error and advanced to second as Wiese scored for the final of 9-0.
Cheyenne Daries took the loss for Centenary, falling to 0-1 on the year. She allowed three runs, one earned, on three hits with two walks in one and a third inning. Janis Kelley came on in relief to allow one hit and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. Cathy Byrne closed out the game. She allowed six runs, four earned, on seven this with two walks in three innings.
In the nightcap, LSU used home runs by Stephanie Hill, Camille Harris and Kristen Hobbs to defeat Illinois. Kristen Schmidt earned the complete- game win for the Tigers. She allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits with 10 strikeouts.
The Tigers got on the board in the bottom of the third inning. With one out, Klein singled through the right side. With two outs, Julie Wiese doubled to left center to score Klein. An error by the shortstop allowed Lauren Delahoussaye to reach and advance to second as Wiese scored for the 2-0 lead.
Illinois got one back in the top of the fourth. With one out, Jenna Hall singled to right field. After Molly Lawhead came on to pinch run for her, she stole second. With two outs, Lindsey Hamma reached and advanced to second on an error by Delahoussaye at shortstop. On the play, Lawhead scored from second.
The Tigers added a run in the bottom of the fourth on a leadoff home run by Hill to left center, her first career home run.
A three-run home run by Camille Harris with one out in the fifth pushed the LSU lead to 6-0. Hobbs then recorded her first career home run to left field to end the scoring for the Tigers.
The Fighting Illini scored two in the top of the seventh before Schmidt got Lawhead to ground out to second to end the game.
Sherri Taylor took the loss for Illinois. She allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits with a walk and two strikeouts in three innings. Jackelyn Diekemper came on in relief to allow five runs on three hits with three walks and two strikeouts in a inning and two-thirds. Amanda Fortune closed out the game. She allowed just one hit in an inning and a third.
LSU 030 15 – 9 11 0
Centenary 000 00 – 0 2 4
Turner and Danos, Hobbs. Daries, Kelley, Byrne and Kowaleski, Hall. W –
Turner (1-0). L – Daries (0-1). HR – Hughes. A – 249.
Box Score
Illinois 000 100 2 – 3 6 1
LSU 002 140 x – 7 7 3
Taylor, Diekemper, Fortune and Sartini. Schmidt and Hobbs. W – Schmidt
(1-0). L – Taylor (0-1). HR – Harris, Hill, Hobbs. A – 374.
Box Score
2004 Tiger Classic — Day One
Game 1
Oklahoma 7, Illinois 0
Three RBIs and a four-hit shutout by Nicole Denes led the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners past Illinois, 7-0, in the first game of the Tiger Classic on Friday afternoon at Tiger Park.
Denes threw a complete-game no-hitter, allowing just four hits with five strikeouts, as the Sooners improved to 1-0 on the season. In addition, she went two-for-four at the plate with a double and a triple with three RBIs.
Illinois dropped to 0-1 on the year, as Amanda Fortune took the loss for the Fighting Illini. She allowed four earned runs on four hits with three walks in two and a third innings.
Megan Huitink came on in relief and allowed three earned runs on five hits with two walks and a strikeout in two and a third. Sherri Taylor finished the game for the Illini, throwing two and a third innings and allowing two hits and a walk with a strikeout.
With one out and runners on first and second for Illinois in the first, Oklahoma got Erin Montgomery to hit into a fielder’s choice and Lindsey Hamma to ground out to end the threat.
The Sooners got on the board in the second inning. Heather Scaglione drew a leadoff walk. With two outs, Denes tripled to right field, scoring Scaglione from first for the 1-0 lead.
Oklahoma erupted for four runs in the third inning. After a leadoff walk by Kristin Vesely, Norrelle Dickson singled down the left field line. With one out and runners on first and second, Jessica Leslie doubled to left field, scoring Vesely and Dickson for the 3-0 Sooner lead. Scaglione then knocked a home run to left field to move the score to 5-0.
Illinois had a chance again in the fourth inning. Jenna Hall led off with a single to right field. After a fielder’s choice, Montgomery was on first base. A two-base error by Denes put runners on second and third with one out. Denes then got herself out of trouble by getting Erin Jones to strike out and and Sarah Baumgartner to ground out to end the inning. The Illini did not have another base runner in the game.
Oklahoma closed out the scoring with a pair of runs in the fifth inning. Leslie led off with a walk. With two outs, Amber Spaulding walked to put runners at first and second. Denes then doubled to left field, scoring Leslie and Spaulding for the 7-0 final score.
Game 3
Oklahoma 5, Southeastern Louisiana 4
Oklahoma came back from a 4-0 deficit to take the 5-4 win over Southeastern Louisiana in the third game of the Tiger Classic on Friday evening at Tiger Park.
With the win, Oklahoma improved to 2-0 on the year, while Southeastern dropped to 0-1.
The Lady Lions jumped on the board with four runs in the top of the second inning. Rebecca de la Garza led off with a single to center field. Raeni Landry then reached on a fielder’s choice as de la Graza advanced to second on an error by the second baseman. Back-to-back doubles by Amy Ford and Kelli Gautreau scored de la Garza, Landry and Ford.
Gautreau then advanced to third on an illegal pitch before Michelle Lemons singled to centerfield to score Gautreau for the 4-0 lead.
Oklahoma countered with three runs in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Heather Scaglione doubled off the shortstop. A triple by Nicole Denes scored Scaglione to cut the lead to 4-1. Jamie Fox reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second. A single to right center by Jessica Johnson scored Denes and Scaglione for a 4-3 score.
The Sooners tied the game in the fifth as Christina Enea nailed a two-out home run to left center. Oklahoma then used three Southeastern errors in the bottom of the seventh to push a run across for the win, 5-4.
Denes earned the win to improve to 1-0 for Oklahoma. In relief, she allowed only one hit with three strikeouts in three innings. April Valdez started the game and allowed four runs, three earned, on three hits with two strikeouts in one inning. Jessica Johnson came on in relief and allowed two hits and a walk with two strikeouts in three innings.
Rachel Ray took the loss for Southeastern Louisiana. She allowed one unearned run with one walk and two strikeouts in an inning of relief. Emily Stelly started and allowed four runs on five hits with three walks in five innings. Summer Delaneuville closed out the game. She allowed one hits with a strikeout in a third of an inning.
Game 5
Centenary 11, Southeastern Louisiana 3
In a game that did not conclude until 1 a.m., Centenary topped Southeastern Louisiana, 11-3, in the final game on day one of the Tiger Classic in Tiger Park.
With the win, Centenary moved to 1-1 on the season. Southeastern dropped to 0-2 on the year with the loss.
Cheyenne Daries earned the win for the Ladies. She allowed five runs, the earned, on seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts in six innings. Janis Kelley came on in relief to pick up a strikeout in one inning of work.
Centenary jumped out with four runs in the top of the second inning. Micah Rhodes led off the inning with an infield single. With one out, she advanced to second on an illegal pitch. With two outs, Lauren Brownlee walked and advanced to second as Rhodes moved to third on a wild pitch.
With runners on second and third, Cheyenne Daries doubled to left center to score Brownlee and Rhodes. Traci Smith then reached on an error and advanced to third as Daries scored from second. Smith then scored on a wild pitch for the 4-0 lead.
Centenary extended the lead to 5-0 with a run in the third. With one out, Janis Kelley singled to shortstop. With two outs, Megan Hall singled to left field as Kelley advanced to second. A wild pitch sent Kelley and Hall to second and third before Kelley scored on a single up the middle by Ursula Maroski.
Southeastern broke through in the bottom of the fourth inning. With one out, Smith homered down the left field line to cut the Lady lead to 5-1.
The Lady Lions added another in the bottom of the sixth. Sarah Gascon lead off with a single up the middle. She advanced to third on back-to-back passed balls. With one out, Allison Wodziak singled to left field and Gascon scored.
Centenary added three more in the top of the seventh. Smith lead off with a double down the left field line. Jordan Landsdale then reached on a fielder’s choice. With runners on first and second, Katie Harwick singled to third base to load the bases.
Micah Rhodes reached on an error by the shortstop as Smith and Landsdale scored. Hall then singled to drive in Harwick. A single to center loaded the bases again. Brownlee singled to left to drive in Rhodes. After a fielder’s choice, Smith singled and advanced to second on an error. Lansdale and Maroski both came in to score to run the score to 11-2.
Southeastern added three more in the bottom of the seventh. Kristen Rogillio lead off with a single before Sara Fjone homered down the left field line. Lisa Chapman later scored on a passed ball for the 11-3 final score.
Summer Delaneuville took the loss to fall to 0-1 on the year. She allowed four runs, two earned, on two hits with a walk and six strikeouts in two innings. Natalie Dunagan closed out the game. She allowed seven runs, three earned, on nine hits with one walk and three strikeouts in five innings.