BATON ROUGE — Outscoring their opponents 20-2 in two games, the LSU softball team swept a pair of contests on Sunday afternoon at Tiger Park to claim the 2005 Tiger Classic championship.
The Tigers (6-1) defeated Grambling State, 11-2, in five innings in the semifinal, before shutting out Southern, 9-0, in the championship game. LSU finished the tournament a perfect 5-0, while the Lady Tigers (0-17) finished winless at 0-4 and the Lady Jaguars (5-6) finished 2-2.
Freshman Vanessa Soto was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after going 9-for-18 (.500) in five games with three doubles, two home runs and 14 RBIs. Freshman Quinlan Duhon, freshman Andrea Smith and sophomore Emily Turner were also named to the all-tournament team for LSU.
“We played well in all aspects of the game this weekend — pitching, hitting and fielding,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “We have a lot of young players on the field, so it was good them some quality playing time.”
Against Grambling, the Tigers used a four-run second and a five-run fourth to put the Lady Tigers away. Stephanie Hill went 3-for-3 with a double, one run scored and four RBIs, while Duhon went 2-for-2 with a double, a home run, three runs scored and three RBIs for LSU. Tiffany Garcia earned the complete-game win to improve to 2-0 on the season. She allowed two runs on two hits with three walks and five strikeouts.
In the championship game, the Tigers got three runs in the fourth and again in the seventh to put away the Lady Jaguars. Lauren Castle went 3-for-4 with a run scored, while Soto went 2-for-4 with a home run and five RBIs for LSU. Turner earned her first complete-game shutout of the season to improve to 2-0 on the year. She allowed three hits and a walk with nine strikeouts.
The Tigers will take on McNeese State in a midweek game on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Tiger Park. LSU will then travel to defend its NFCA Leadoff Classic title next weekend in Columbus, Ga. The Tigers will face nationally ranked Fresno State as well as Seton Hall, who the Tigers defeated in NCAA Regional action last season, and Texas State.
“We know that we are going to face some quality opponents at the NFCA tournament next weekend,” said Girouard. “It is one of the best in the country and we will have to play well if we expect to come away with the same results as last year.”
Against Southern in the championship game, LSU put up a run in each of the first three innings. In the first, the Duhon led off with an infield single. On a sacrifice bunt attempt by Castle, she reached on a throwing error by the third baseman and advanced to second, while Duhon moved to third. A sacrifice fly by Soto scored Duhon for the 1-0 lead.
In the second, Killian Roessner led off with a walk. After Henderson came in to run for Roessner, she moved to second on a wild pitch. A fly out to right field by Andrea Smith sent Dee Dee Henderson to third. She scored on a passed ball. Soto then led off the third inning with a home run to send the score to 3-0.
The Tigers broke it open with three in the fourth inning. Camille Harris walked to lead off the inning. On a fielding error by the shortstop, Duhon reached and Harris moved to second. Castle recorded a bunt single to load the bases. Soto then reached on an error by the first baseman to send her to second as Castle moved to third and both Duhon and Harris scored. A sacrifice fly by Hill scored Castle gave LSU the 6-0 lead.
Southern broke up the no-hitter in the bottom of the fourth inning. Candice Stevens led off with a double to left center. She was stranded on second when Turner retired the next three batters in order.
The Lady Jags posted their second hit of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning. Cashara Edgerson doubled to left field with two outs. Once again, the Tigers came through with an out to end the inning for the Tigers.
LSU closed out the scoring with three more in the top of the seventh. Erika Sluss drew a leadoff walk. A single by Smith through the right side moved Sluss to second. The pair advanced to second and third on a passed ball. Kristen Hobbs then singled to center field to score Sluss and move Smith to third. Smith scored and Hobbs moved to second on a wild pitch. With one out and the bases loaded after a walk to Harris and a single by Castle, Harris scored on a ground out by Soto.
Kortney Ruiz started and took the loss for Southern. She allowed three runs, two earned, on three hits with a walk in two innings. Jamila Taylor came on in relief in the third and allowed three runs, two earned, with a walk and a strikeout in two innings. Jayme Roberts relieved Taylor in the fifth and allowed just one hit and one walk in two innings. Samisha Bledsoe closed out the game, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks and a strikeout in an innings.
In the semifinal game against Grambling, LSU put up two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Duhon led off with a walk. She advanced to second on a single to left field. A single up the middle by Soto loaded the bases. Hill then singled through the left side to score Duhon and Castle to give the Tigers the 2-0 lead.
In the second inning, LSU added four runs. With one out, Hobbs walked. Henderson came in to pinch run for Hobbs and stole second. A single through the left side by Harris sent Henderson to third. Harris then stole second to put runners on second and third. Duhon then homered off the left field foul pole.
Castle then reached on a bunt single. She moved to second on a ground out by Soto. A single down the left field line by Hill scored Castle from second to give the Tigers the 6-0 lead.
Grambling got on the board in the top of the fourth inning. Asia Anders doubled to lead off the inning. A single by Ashley Williams down the right field line sent Anders to third. Williams then stole second to put runners on second and third. A walk to Quay Jones loaded the bases. Back-to-back infield ground outs by the Lady Tigers scored Anders and Williams to get Grambling to within four, 6-2.
LSU came back with five runs in the bottom half of the inning to put the game away. Harris reached on a bunt single and then stole second. Duhon then doubled through the left side and moved Harris to third. On a sacrifice attempt by Lauren Uhle, she reached and advanced to third on an error by the third baseman that allowed Harris to score.
On a ground out by Soto, Duhon scored and Uhle moved to third. Hill then doubled to left field to score Uhle. On a single up the middle by Sluss, she moved to third base on an error by the pitcher as Hill scored. A double to right center by Smith scored Sluss from third to run the final score to 11-2.
Jackie DeLeon started and took the loss. She allowed six runs on seven hits with two walks in an inning and two-thirds. Ashley Williams came on in relief in the second and allowed five runs on five hits in an inning and two-thirds. Asia Anders closed out the game, allowing one hit in two-thirds innings.
Grambling 000 20 – 2 2 2
LSU 240 5x – 11 13 0
DeLeon, Williams (2), Anders (4) and Anders, Oliveaux (4). Garcia and Roessner.
WP — Garcia (2-0). LP — DeLeon. HR — Duhon.
T — 1:28.
LSU 111 300 3 – 9 10 2
Southern 000 000 0 – 0 3 3
Turner and Roessner. Ruiz, Taylor (3) and Richardson.
WP — Turner (2-0). LP — Ruiz. HR — Soto.
T — 2:06. A — 428.
Southern 6, Indiana 0 — Box Score
A three-hit shutout by Samisha Bledsoe and a three-inning fifth inning led Southern past Indiana, 6-0, in the first bracket game of the Tiger Classic on Sunday morning at Tiger Park.
With the win the Lady Jaguars advanced to the championship game to face the winner of the LSU-Grambling State game. The Hoosiers fell to 3-6 on the season and were eliminated from the tournament.
Bledsoe earned the complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits with no walks while striking out six in the win. She rebounded from a 7-0 loss to Indiana on Friday.
Seven of the nine Southern batters recorded hits in the game. Natasha Jackson and Vernita Portier each went 2-for-3 for the Lady Jags with a run scored, while Portier recorded an RBI.
Southern got on the board in the top of the first inning and added another in the second. The Lady Jags extended the lead to 3-0 with a run in the fourth before doubling their score with three runs in the fifth.
Brittany Richardson led off with an infield single for Southern in the top of the first. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jackson. Richardson scored on a fielding error by the third baseman on an infield hit by Candice Stevens.
With one out in the second inning, Portier reached on a single through the left side. With two outs, on a single by Cashara Edgerson, Portier scored as the ball rolled through the legs of the left fielder to give the Lady Jags the 2-0 lead.
Tiffany Darville singled to right field with one out in the fourth. After she stole second, she scored on a double to right center by Portier.
Southern broke though with three runs in the fifth inning. Edgerson posted an infield single. She moved to second on an infield ground out by Richardson. Jackson then struck out, but reached on a wild pitch as Edgerson advanced to third. Candice Stevens then singled through the left side, scoring Edgerson and moving Jackson to second.
On an infield ground out to first by Jamye Roberts, Jackson scored from second and Stevens moved to third and then scored as the throw home from the first baseman sailed past the catcher.
Katie Witham took the loss for Indiana to fall to 1-2 on the season. She allowed six runs, three earned runs, on eight hits with three strikeouts in four and a third innings. Megan Roark came on in the fifth did not allow a run in two and two-thirds innings. She allowed two hits with four strikeouts.
Southern 110 130 0 – 6 10 3
Indiana 000 000 0 – 0 3 3
Bledsoe and Jackson. Witham, Roark (5) and Jackson.
WP — Bledsoe. LP — Witham
Tiger Classic All-Tournament Team
Samisha Bledsoe Southern
Quinlan Duhon LSU
Jennilee Huddleston Indiana
Jessica Oliveaux Grambling State
Megan Roark Indiana
Andrea Smith LSU
Emily Turner LSU
Tranessa Zepherin Southern
MVP — Vanessa Soto LSU