BATON ROUGE — Riding a 37-game winning streak over in-state teams, the 12th-ranked LSU softball team hosts a doubleheader against Northwestern State on Wednesday at Tiger Park beginning at 4 p.m.
The game will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network in Baton Rouge on The X – 104.5/104.9 FM. The broadcast can also be heard in the GeauxZone powered by USAgencies on LSUsports.net.
The Tigers (26-5) are off to the second-best start in school history, behind only the 27-4 beginning to the 1998 season that finished 58-14 and advanced to the NCAA Regionals for the first time in school history. The Lady Demons are 13-17 on the year, but have a game on Tuesday at Southern before coming into Tiger Park.
“We are looking forward to a mid-week doubleheader against a very dangerous Northwestern State team,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “We had a fun atmosphere at Tiger Park on Sunday and hopefully we can continue that type of environment on Wednesday night.”
LSU faced Northwestern State earlier in the season in the Easton Purple & Gold Challenge. The Tigers topped the Lady Demons, 6-1, as part of the rain-shortened tournament.
LSU got two runs in the bottom of the second inning before NSU cut the lead to one with a run in the top of the sixth. The Tigers put the game away with four runs in the bottom half of the sixth, including a two-RBI single by Lauren Delahoussaye.
Dani Hofer earned the win in the first meeting for LSU. She allowed just two hits with one run while striking out a career-best 15. Amanda Glenn took the loss for the Demons, allowing 10 hits, six runs, two earned, with only one strikeout.
Stephanie Hill went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead the Tigers, while Andrea Smith was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and Delahoussaye was 1-for-2 with two RBIs. Margaret Patterson and Sarina Noack posted the only two hits of the game for the Demons, as Noack knocked in the only run.
Vanessa Soto leads LSU for the season at the plate with a .405 clip. The sophomore also posts a team-best 10 doubles with 28 RBIs. Hill is second on the team with a .382 mark, including eight doubles and three home runs, while Leslie Klein is at .380 with seven doubles, three triples and three home runs.
As a team, the Tigers boast a .329 batting average. LSU has also hit 54 doubles with seven triples and 19 home runs. In 31 games, the Tigers have scored 191 runs, which average out to almost seven runs a game, while stealing 60 bases.
In the circle, LSU has a team 0.85 earned run average. Megan Jolly remains spotless with a 0.00 ERA and a 4-0 record, followed by Tiffany Garcia at 5-0 with a 0.45 mark. Junior Emily Turner is 9-2 on the season after a shutout win over No. 13 Georgia last weekend with a 0.59 ERA, followed by freshman Dani Hofer with an 8-3 mark and a 1.62 earned run average.
Noack leads Northwestern State at the plate for the year with a .341 batting average, while boasting a team-best 22 stolen bases in 22 attempts. As a team, the Lady Demons hit at a .243 clip for the year with 45 doubles, eight triples and 12 home runs.
In the circle, Glenn leads NSU with a 6-12 record and a 2.76 earned run average, followed by Kristen Lindley with a 4-5 record and 3.56 ERA. As a team, the Lady Demons have a 3.02 earned run average with two shutouts.
LSU leads the overall series with Northwestern State, 20-0, having never lost a meeting. The Tigers are also 17-0 in Tiger Park. The Demons have been shutout in nine meeting, while two meeting have gone to extra innings. On four occasions NSU has been run-ruled, but the game has been decided by one run six times. LSU has won the last two meetings by five runs each.
The Tigers will next travel to Lexington, Ky., to face Kentucky in a three-game Southeastern Conference series. LSU will take on the Wildcats in a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at noon (CT) before closing out the series on Sunday at noon (CT).
GAME FACTS: No. 12 LSU Tigers (26-5) vs. Northwestern State (13-17)
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, March 22 – 4 p.m.6 p.m.
RANKINGS:
LSU (#12 NFCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, #14 ESPN/USA Softball Poll)
Northwestern State (Not Ranked)
STADIUM: Tiger Park (1,000)
RADIO: LSU Sports Radio Network – Country Legends 107.3 FM.
TELEVISION: None
INTERNET: Live stats of games at www.LSUsports.net
SERIES RECORD: LSU leads 20-0