BATON ROUGE — The fourth-ranked LSU softball team will take a break from Southeastern Conference action to travel to Shreveport for a single-game against in-state rival Centenary on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Centenary Softball Complex.
After taking two-of-three from No. 15 South Carolina last weekend, the Tigers stand at 25-5 on the season. The Ladies finished second at the OU/Worth Invitational last weekend and are currently 13-13 on the year.
This will be the second meeting between LSU and Centenary this season. In the season opener the Tigers downed the Ladies, 9-0, in five innings. In nine previous meetings, all at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge, LSU is undefeated against Centenary. The Ladies have not scored a run in 28 consecutive innings, dating back to Feb. Feb. 23, 1999.
“We welcome the opportunity to play a pretty good Centenary team,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “They are a better team than we saw at the beginning of the season. It will also give us a chance to rest some people and give a few others an opportunity to see some action. This is a final tune-up before a crucial SEC weekend.”
In the first meeting, LSU senior LaDonia Hughes led the Tiger effort with a 3-for-4 performance and four runs batted in, including a triple and an inside-the-park home run. For the game, she was a double shy of batting for the cycle.
Senior Sara Fitzgerald, sophomore Lauren Castle and freshman Leslie Klein each went 2-for-4 at the plate and combined for a pair of doubles and three RBIs. Freshman Emily Turner recorded the win for LSU, allowing two hits and two walks with five strikeouts in the complete-game shutout.
Lady pitcher Cheyenne Daries took the loss after allowing three runs, one earned, on three hits with two walks in one and a third innings. Janis Kelly came on in relief in the second and allowed one hits and two walks in two-thirds of an innings. Cathy Byrne closed out the game, allowing six runs, four earned, on seven hits with two walks in three innings of work.
The Tigers took 3-0 lead in the third inning. LSU expanded that lead to 4-0 in the fourth. Five runs in the fifth inning sealed the run-rule win.
Klein, the Louisiana Hitter of the Week, currently leads the Tigers at the plate, hitting .383 on the year, with eight doubles and a team-best 31 RBIs and 27 runs scored. Her eight home runs this season is tied for the best in the SEC and four away from the LSU single-season record.
Stephanie Hill and Julie Wiese each have six home runs for LSU, which leads the conference in home runs this year. Fitzgerald leads the team with 10 doubles, which ranks second in the league.
Senior Kristin Schmidt leads the Tiger pitching staff with a 15-3 record. The Louisiana and SEC Pitcher of the Week is second in the SEC in wins and third in strikeouts this season. Turner has posted a 9-2 record in the circle for LSU this season with three complete-game shutouts and 57 strikeouts.
Micah Rhodes leads Centenary with a .403 batting average. The freshman has also recorded five doubles, a triple and four home runs. Junior Janis Kelly leads the team with seven home runs to go along with a .307 batting average and two doubles.
Daries leads the Ladies in the circle with a 2.42 earned run average. The senior has posted an 8-6 record with two complete-game shutouts and 70 strikeouts.
LSU will then return home for a crucial three-game SEC series against No. 7 Georgia. The Tigers will host the Bulldogs in a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. for the annual “Pack the Park” promotion. Fans will have a chance to win Aerosmith concert tickets and the first 100 fans will be treated to a free carwash during the game. The series will conclude with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.