BATON ROUGE — The LSU softball team dominated in-state rival Southeastern Louisiana, 13-0, as Emily Turner and Tiffany Garcia combined for a one-hitter on Wednesday afternoon at Tiger Park before the team held the inaugural “Meet the Tigers” for over a hundred loyal fans.
This weekend the Tigers will conclude fall practice with the annual Fall Collegiate Classic. On Saturday LSU will host the three-team field that includes LSU-Eunice and Hinds Community College for the one-day tournament.
Against Southeastern Louisiana, the Tigers pounded out 13 runs on 18 hits, 10 of which went for extra bases, while allowing only one hit and committing no errors. LSU put up at least one run in every inning except the fifth, including five runs in the bottom of the sixth.
“This was a good experience for out team to come out and put on the uniform and run go through it just like it will be on an actual game day in the spring,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “It gives our freshmen a chance to put the uniform on for the first time and see what it feels like to be in a game day scenario. We get to go through signs in game situations and also see how the players react to prime time situations.”
Turner started and threw five complete innings. The senior All-American allowed only a leadoff double in the fourth inning, a walk and hit two batters, while striking out nine. Garcia came on in relief in the sixth to close out the game. The junior threw two perfect innings including two strikeouts.
At the plate, junior Vanessa Soto led the way with a 3-for-3 performance, including two doubles and three RBIs. Junior Andrea Smith finished 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs, while junior Erica Sluss was also 2-for-3 with a home run and a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored.
Several freshmen showed potential at the plate with Jazmine Jackson going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and three runs scored. Rachel Mitchell was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, while Cody Trahan finished with a single.
The Tigers will return to field at 11 a.m. on Saturday as LSU hosts LSU-Eunice. At 1 p.m., the Tigers will take on Hinds Community College. The tournament will conclude with LSU-Eunice facing Hinds Community College at 3 p.m.
Last season, LSU went 4-0 in the Fall Classic, posting 42 runs while not allowing a single run by its opponents. LSU began the weekend with a 10-0 win over East Mississippi Junior College. The Tigers continued with a 12-0 win over Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. On Sunday, LSU defeated LSU-Eunice, 9-0, before closing out the tournament with an 11-0 win over Southeastern Louisiana.
The 2007 season will begin with the Easton Tiger Classic on Feb. 9-11. The Tigers will host Centenary, McNeese State, Middle Tennessee State and Missouri in the three-day tournament at Tiger Park.
2006 LSU Fall Collegiate Classic
Saturday, October 28
11 a.m. LSU vs. LSU-Eunice
1 p.m. LSU vs. Hinds CC
3 p.m. Hinds CC vs. LSU-Eunice