BATON ROUGE — With four RBIs from Leslie Klein, the 13th-ranked LSU softball team extended its in-state winning streak to 39 games as the Tigers took a doubleheader shutout sweep from Northwestern State, 3-0 and 6-0, on Wednesday evening at Tiger Park.
With the wins, LSU improved to 28-5 on the season, the second best start through 33 games in school history behind the 29-4 start to the 1998 season. The Lady Demons fell to 14-19 on the year, as the Tigers snapped their three-game winning streak.
“A workman like performance tonight,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “Nothing too exciting but we got two wins on the night. I thought we had to very good pitching performances. It was a fabulous night by Leslie Klein hitting the ball hard. She came through with primetime hitting and has been lately.”
In the first game, Klein was 1-for-2 with all three Tiger RBIs. She knocked in Dee Dee Henderson from second on a deep sacrifice fly to center field in the first inning. In the bottom of the third, she knocked in a pair of runs on an RBI single up the middle.
Emily Turner earned the complete-game win in game one. She threw a one-hit shutout to improve her record to 10-2 on the season. Along with four walks, she struck out nine. It marked her second complete-game one-hitter of the season after throwing a one-hitter against Western Kentucky earlier in the season.
Amanda Glenn, who the Tigers defeated earlier in the season, took the loss to fall to 6-13 on the year for the Lady Demons. She allowed three runs on seven hits with four walks and three strikeouts.
In the nightcap, LSU again got on the board in the first inning. Fallon Fisher drew a bases loaded walk to bring home Camille Harris, who had reached after being hit by a pitch, to give the Tiger the 1-0 advantage.
In the third inning, LSU added a run on an infield ground out by Erika Sluss, which scored Klein from third. Klein had reached on a triple to right field, her third triple of the season and ninth of her career.
The Tigers broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth. Vanessa Soto, who went 5-for-6 for the night with two doubles, led with a single to left field. A double to left by Klein scored Soto, who just slid in under the tag at the plate.
After a walk by Sluss, a fielder’s choice by Fisher got Sluss going to second. With runners at first and third, a double up the middle by Killian Roessner scored Klein and Fisher to extend the lead to 5-0.
LSU capped off the score in the sixth. Lauren Castle led off with a single and stole second on the play. Soto’s second double of the night scored Castle from second to run the score to the 6-0 final.
Dani Hofer made it back-to-back one-hitters for the Tigers. She walked two and struck out eight to improve to 9-3 on the season. It marked the second time this year she threw a one hitter after recording a no-hitter in her first collegiate appearance against Mississippi Valley State.
Michelle Castellano took the loss for Northwestern State to fall to 3-1 on the year. She allowed six runs on eight hits with six walks without a strikeout in the complete-game effort.
The Tigers have now won 39 straight games over Louisiana teams dating back to April 18, 2001 when LSU lost, 2-1, to UL-Lafayette. In 46 games against in-state schools under Girouard, the Tigers are 45-1 in six season.
LSU has now defeated Northwestern State three times in 2006 after topping the Lady Demons, 6-1, in the Easton Purple & Gold Challenge. For the series, the Tigers remain undefeated and run their record to 21-0 all-time.
This weekend, LSU returns to Southeastern Conference play as the Tigers travel to Lexington, Ky., for a three-game series against Kentucky. LSU will face the Wildcats on Saturday in a doubleheader beginning at noon (CT) and close out with a single game on Sunday at noon (CT).