BATON ROUGE — The last time the LSU softball team faced a Division I opponent on the diamond was eight months ago in the NCAA Super Regionals. Not only was there no rust evident as the No.7-ranked Tigers got the 2008 season underway at the Easton Tiger Classic at Tiger Park on Friday night, they looked like a well-oiled machine as they run-ruled St. John’s 14-0 in five innings before knocking off Ball State, 4-2.
With the wins, LSU improved to 2-0 on the season as play resumes on Saturday at Tiger Park. The Tigers will take on Nicholls State at 1:30 p.m. before closing out play at 3:45 p.m. Four of the five tournament teams will return for championship play on Sunday with the title game at 2 p.m.
“It was a normal first day,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “I loved the way we looked out there in the first game, but I was a little disappointed we couldn’t add to the lead in the middle innings. Our pitchers didn’t pitch as well as I’ve seen them pitch, but to Dani’s (Hofer) credit she came back after a shaky start.”
In the win over the Red Storm, the Tigers racked up 12 hits and five different players picked up at least one RBI in the rout that started with a 10-run first inning and closed with a four-run fifth.
Left fielder Quinlan Duhon got things started with a two run single to left off Red Storm (0-2) starter Linzee Sumrall in the top of the first inning, and the score was 5-0 two batters later when Tayl’r Hollis clubbed the first pitch she faced over the wall in left-center for a three-run home run. Not to be outdone, true freshman Jessica Mouse took the first pitch of her collegiate career ? the very next of the game ? and sent it over the wall in center field to stretch LSU’s lead to six.
Rachel Mitchell, MVP of the 2007 NCAA Palo Alto Regional, brought a trio of Tigers home with a three RBI triple off the left field wall before catcher Killian Roessner rounded out the first inning scoring with a double down the left field line that scored Mitchell.
LSU picked up just one hit over the next three innings as both teams struggled to get the bat on the ball ? at one point five straight half innings went three up, three down ? before the hosts tacked on four runs in the top of the fifth frame to stretch the lead to 14.
Erika Sluss opened the scoring when she scampered home from third on a throwing error by Bionca King, before Mitchell picked up her fourth RBI on the night with a single to right that scored Dee Dee Henderson. Hollis closed out the scoring by one-upping Mitchell, bringing Mitchell and Ashley Applegate home on a single to center for her fourth and fifth RBIs of the game.
Cody Trahan (1-0) struck out two Red Storm hitters and walked one in four innings to earn the win in for LSU. Former Denham Springs High School standout Sumrall (0-1) lasted just 0.2 innings in her collegiate debut, giving up 10 runs on five hits to take the loss for St. Johns.
In LSU’s second game of the evening, the Tigers overcame a spirited Ball State team to eke out a 4-2 win over the Cardinals. Dani Hofer (1-0) went the distance in the circle for LSU, giving up two hits while striking out nine and walking three. Her counterpart, Elizabeth Milian (0-1) averaged one hit per inning and walked four while striking out two Tiger batters.
LSU scored first once again, putting two runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning. The first came courtesy of a seven-ball walk to Killian Roessner with the bases loaded, bringing Dee Dee Henderson home from third. Tayl’r Hollis, the Tigers’ next batter, hit a slow roller to second baseman Kamilah Holle and was thrown out at first as Jazz Jackson scampered home from third.
Ball State struck back to tie the game in the top of the third when catcher Abby Gross clubbed a two-run home run to left field. LSU retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth when Jessica Mouse scored on an Ashley Applegate double play out, and stretched the lead to two in the bottom of the sixth when a Shannon Stein infield single brought Hollis home.
LSU (10)00 04 – 14 12 0
St. John’s 000 00 – 0 1 2
Cody Trahan, Casey Faile (5) and Killian Roessner. Linzee Sumrall, Kat Lawrence(1) and Brady Reyes, Kacee Cox. WP – Cody Trahan (1-0). LP – Linzee Sumrall (0-1). Save ? None. HR ? Tayl’r Hollis, Jessica Mouse. T-1:58.
Ball State 002 000 0 – 2 2 1
LSU 200 101 X – 4 6 2
Elizabeth Milian and Abby Gross. Dani Hofer and Killian Roessner. WP ? Hofer (1-0). LP ? Milian (0-1). Save ? None. HR ? Abby Gross. T – 1:59. A ? 735.