BATON ROUGE — Behind a pair of one-hit shutouts, the sixth-ranked LSU softball team recorded a pair of wins, 4-0 over Southern Mississippi and 8-0 in five innings over Louisiana Tech, on the first day of action in the Easton Purple & Gold Challenge on Friday at Tiger Park.
With the wins, the Tigers improved to 13-1 on the season and 2-0 in tournament play. The Golden Eagles fell to 3-6 overall and 0-2 in tournament action, while the Lady Techsters dropped to 7-5 on the season and 0-1 in tournament play. LSU will return to action, if the forecasted rain holds off, on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. against Troy. The Tigers will close out play on Saturday against Southern Miss at 1:30 p.m.
“You’ve got to live in the present and that’s what we did today,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “We told them to go out and play Tiger softball. No matter who the opponent is, you have to go out and play your type of softball, and we did that today.”
Against Southern Miss in the first game, Tiffany Garcia hurled a one-hit shutout to improve to 3-0 on the season. The junior allowed four walks and struck out eight in the contest, allowing just a fifth-inning bloop single into center field.
Dani Garcia came out and matched the feat against Louisiana Tech. The sophomore allowed just an infield single to the second batter of the game, with one walk and 11 strikeouts, in her five-inning effort to improve to 5-0 on the season.
“It was a very good job by both pitchers to control the teams,” said Girouard, “and we played well defensively.”
Junior Killian Roessner led the Tigers at the plate, going 4-for-6 with a double, home run and three RBIs. Freshman Jazz Jackson also posted four hits on the day with a stolen base. Junior Erika Sluss came on to play second in the second inning against Louisiana Tech and went 1-for-2 with three RBIs.
“We just have to find a spot for some people defensively because I think we could be really dangerous,” said Girouard. “We just can’t seem to fine a place for everyone.”
Against the Golden Eagles, LSU broke the scoreless tie with three runs in the top of the fourth as the Tigers hit for the cycle in the inning. Quinlan Duhon led off with a triple, followed by a double to right center by Vanessa Soto that scored Duhon. A two-run home run by Roessner gave LSU the 3-0 advantage.
The Tigers tacked on their final run of the game in the top of the fifth. With one out, Duhon was hit by a pitch. With two outs and Sluss running for Duhon, Sluss stole second. Roessner then doubled to left field, bringing home Sluss to close out the scoring.
Shea Naramore took the loss for Southern Miss to fall to 3-6 on the season. The only healthy pitcher the Golden Eagles have allowed four runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts in the complete-game effort, her second such performance of the day.
In the nightcap, LSU scored early and often. The Tigers got on the board in the first. Jackson led off with an infield single. A hit through the left side by Tayl’r Hollis moved Jackson to second. With one out, Jackson advanced to third on a fly out to right field by Duhon. A wild pitch allowed Jackson to score from third as Hollis was unable to get in under the tag at the plate trying to score from second.
LSU broke it open in the second with three runs. Soto led off with a walk and advanced to second on a ground out by Roessner. With two outs, Andrea Smith drew a walk and Shannon Stein was hit by a pitch to load the bases. On a fielder’s choice by Jackson, Soto scored as the pitcher was unable to come up with the ball. Sluss then singled to center field, allowing Smith and Stein to score.
In the third, the Tigers added three more. With one out, Soto drew her second walk of the game. Three consecutive singles by Roessner, Kristen Hobbs and Andrea Smith scored Soto from third. With two outs, Jackson was hit by a pitch, scoring Hobbs from third. A bases loaded walk by Sluss sent Smith home for the 7-0 LSU advantage.
The Tigers closed it out in the bottom of the fifth with their eighth run. Dee Dee Henderson and Jackson led off with back-to-back infield singles. The pair moved to second and third on a deep fly ball to center field by Sluss. A single to right field by Leslie Klein scored Henderson for the eight-run rule win.
Krissi Oliver started and took the loss for the Lady Techsters, falling to 4-3 on the year. She allowed seven runs, four earned, on six hits with four walks and two strikeouts in three innings. Courtney Avery came on in relief and allowed one run on five hits with a strikeout in an inning and two-thirds.
Other action on day two of the Easton Purple & Gold Challenge includes Southern Miss against Louisiana Tech at 9 a.m. and the Lady Techsters against Troy at 3:45 p.m. Play will conclude in the double round robin tournament on Sunday. The Tigers will take on Troy at 11:15 a.m., before ending action against Louisiana Tech at 1:30 p.m.
TROY DEFEATS SOUTHERN MISS, 9-4, TOP OPEN EASTON PURPLE & GOLD CHALLENGE
BATON ROUGE — The Trojans of Troy put two runs on the board in the first inning and never trailed as they defeated Southern Miss, 9-4, in the first game of the Easton Purple & Gold Challenge on Friday afternoon at Tiger Park.
Trojan left fielder Heidi Johnson walked to lead off the top of the first for Troy (7-0), and scored the first run when she stole home from third as part of a double steal. Katie Kolb, who took second in the double steal and advanced to third when Southern Miss catcher Kristin Pilgrim dropped the throw home from the shortstop, scored on a sac fly by Jessica Lyle to stretch Troy’s lead to 2-0.
While Southern Miss (3-5) managed to tie the game in the bottom of the first and keep the score close throughout, the Trojans blew the game open and ensured the win with a five-run sixth inning that included four hits and four walks.
Angela Lopez (3-0) gave up just two unearned runs in four innings of work to pick up the win for Troy, while Shea Naramore (3-5), who entered the weekend as the Golden Eagles’ sole healthy pitcher, threw all seven innings and gave up nine runs on nine hits to collect the loss.
TROJANS DEFEAT LADY TECHSTERS, 5-4, TO END DAY ONE OF PURPLE & GOLD CHALLENGE
BATON ROUGE – Troy outlasted Louisiana Tech in an error-filled game to win the final matchup of day one, 5-4, at the Easton Purple & Gold Challenge on Friday night at Tiger Park.
The Trojans (8-0) and Lady Techsters (7-6) combined to commit seven errors in seven innings, with La. Tech accounting for five in the losing effort. When the ball was in play however, the two teams managed to rack up 13 hits ? including one home run apiece ? as the nightcap went down to the wire.
The first run of the game came in the bottom of the first inning when Lady Techster left fielder Danielle Sheridan scored from third on a fielding error by her Trojan counterpart. Troy tied and then took the lead in the next inning on a pair of unearned runs, and added single runs in the fourth, fifth ? a leadoff home run courtesy of third baseman Courtney Davis ? and sixth innings. Louisiana Tech scored two in the fifth on the back of a two-run home run by catcher Regan Clark, added one more in the bottom of the sixth, but were ultimately unable to push any runs across the plate in the final frame.
Winning pitcher Rocky Paige (3-0) started in the circle and threw 5.1 innings, giving up four runs on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Krissi Oliver (0-2) threw a complete game for the Lady Techsters, giving up five runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and one walk. Of the nine runs scored in the game, only four were earned.