BATON ROUGE – The No. 19 LSU softball cranked out a 6-2 victory over Purdue followed by a dominant 10-2 five-inning rout of Louisiana Tech to complete an undefeated weekend Sunday during day three of the Wilson-DeMarini Tiger Classic in-front of 1,135 fans at Tiger Park.
LSU (6-0) placed Simone Heyward, Ashley Langoni, Meghan Patterson, Juliana Santos and Anissa Young on the All-Tournament Team with Heyward securing the MVP honors.
For the weekend, the Tiger offense clicked for a .368 team batting average and racked up 22 stolen bases. The junior trio of Langoni, Santos and Young combined for 18 of the squad’s 38 RBIs at the plate. Heyward scored 11 runs and swiped six steals from the leadoff spot.
Patterson along with Rachele Fico and Brittany Mack each secured a pair of wins from the pitching circle. The staff recorded 59 strikeouts in 39 innings of work and limited opponents to a .162 batting average for the weekend.
“I love this freshman class,” head coach Yvette Girouard said. “Everybody showed up to play this weekend. Meghan [Patterson] brought what she had in practice. Our leaders, our junior class showed up also. Everybody wanted to know how we were going to replace [Kirsten] Shortridge, and you don’t replace Shortridge. She was a once in a lifetime talent, but Simone [Heyward] has obviously added the speed factor to our game. She looked very good this weekend.”
LSU wraps up its seven-game homestand Wednesday against Southeastern Louisiana. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. with live stats available on LSUsports.net. Fans also can follow live in-games updates via the program’s social media pages at www.Facebook.com/lsusoftball and www.Twitter.com/LSU_Softball.
The Tiger Park Ticket Booth will open Wednesday at 5 p.m. and fans can purchase tickets on-site starting at $5 for adult general admission. Additional ticket information for LSU’s home series with SEC heavyweights Alabama, Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee is available at www.LSUtix.net.
Game 1 – LSU 6, Purdue 2
Allison Falcon drove in a career-best three RBIs highlighted by a two-run triple. Simone Heyward and Cassie Trosclair also added RBIs for the Tigers.
Brittany Mack went the distance and allowed two runs on seven hits. The junior right-hander mixed in five strikeouts against one walk to move to 2-0 on the season.
Anissa Young, Tammy Wray and Morgan Russell drew consecutive walks to start the second inning. The Tigers scored the game’s first run on a Falcon sacrifice fly. Three batters later, LSU reloaded the bases and Heyward worked another free pass to push the advantage to 2-0.
The Tigers broke the game open with a quartet of runs on a two-out rally in the third inning. Wray squirted a single through the left side and Russell was hit-by-a-pitch. Falcon cleared the bases and cranked a two-run triple in the right centerfield gap to make it 4-0. Trosclair followed with a RBI-single and LSU took advantage of a Purdue fielding error for its sixth run.
“During preseason, we all worked very hard especially during two-a-days,” Heyward said. “There is always a few things that we need to work on, and there is nowhere to go but up for our team this year. The team is just working really hard. The pitchers are stepping up this year, and the freshmen are getting it done. Everybody is just making a better effort.”
Mack sat down the first nine Boilermakers she faced as only one ball left the infield. She worked her way out of jams and stranded multiple runners during the fourth and fifth innings.
Purdue broke through for two runs in seventh. Lauren Grant opened the frame with solo home run to straightaway centerfield and Molly Garst popped a RBI-single for the final margin of 6-2.
Game 2 – LSU 10, Louisiana Tech 2 [5 Innings]
Four different Tigers provided multiple RBIs led by Lauren Houston, who turned in a 2-for-3 effort and a career-best three RBIs. Heidi Pizer, Juliana Santos and Tammy Wray connected for two RBIs apiece, while Santos notched her first career four-hit performance.
“This is a new year, a new team and we are really excited about where we are going,” Houston said. “A bunch of us came out with a whole new mindset after the way our season ended last year. I know personally I have worked very hard over the summer and offseason along with the rest of my teammates. We know what we need to do to get the job done. “
LSU raced out of the gates and exploded for eight runs over the first two innings. The Tigers have now dented the scoreboard during the first inning in four of their six games.
Heyward ripped a leadoff triple and scampered home on a Santos RBI-single for the 1-0 edge. Pizer and Houston capped the three-run frame with back-to-back RBI-singles with two outs.
Heyward, Santos and Langoni set the table in the second inning. With one out, Anissa Young was hit-by-a-pitch to force Heyward home before Wray smashed a two-run single through the left side to extend the lead to 6-0. Houston tacked on a sacrifice fly, and Pizer belted a RBI-double down the right field line to make it 8-0.
Louisiana Tech struck for two runs in the third inning, but LSU fired back with single runs during the fourth and fifth. Santos capped her 4-for-4 day with a RBI-single to compete the 10-2 victory.
Meghan Patterson equaled a career-high and compiled 11 Ks over her five innings of work. She allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits to improve to 2-0 for the season.
“It’s a long weekend,” Girouard said. “Six games in three days, that’s a lot of ball to play, especially when you are going to class and have to meet other obligations. I thought our pitchers were phenomenal minus a few innings. For Brittany Mack, it was very important that she finished [the first game], which she did. For Meghan Patterson to work herself out of a jam, she faced a little bit of adversity, which made her better today.”
All-Tournament Team
Hannah Fulk [Bowling Green]
Janna Frandrup [Louisiana Tech]
Andie Varsho [Purdue]
Suzie Rzegocki [Purdue]
Ashley Langoni [LSU]
Meghan Patterson [LSU]
Juliana Santos [LSU]
Anissa Young [LSU]
MVP: Simone Heyward [LSU]
Wilson/DeMarini Tiger Classic
LSU vs. Purdue/Louisiana Tech
Postgame Quotes
February 13, 2011
Head Coach Yvette Girouard
On game play…
“I love this freshman class. Everybody showed up to play this weekend. Meghan [Patterson] brought what she had in practice. Our leaders, our junior class showed up also. I was happy except for one inning, but I was happy overall with our production.”
On Simone Heyward…
“Everybody wanted to know how we were going to replace [Kirsten] Shortridge, and you don’t replace Shortridge. She was a once in a lifetime talent, but Simone [Heyward] has obviously added the speed factor to our game. She looked very good this weekend.”
On players stepping up…
“Injuries are what they are, and you are going to go through that in a season. However, you don’t want to start a season with three starters out, but it was an opportunity for other people to shine. They show themselves to the coaching staff that they can produce. Everybody did a great job.”
On LSU pitchers…
“It’s a long weekend. Six games in three days, that’s a lot of ball to play, especially when you are going to class and have to meet other obligations. I thought our pitchers were phenomenal minus a few innings. For Brittany Mack, it was very important that she finished, which she did. For Meghan Patterson to work herself out of a jam, she faced a little bit of adversity, which made her better today.
Catcher Lauren Houston
On ending 2010 season and beginning 2011…
“We are putting the past behind us. We are not thinking about it what so ever. This is a new year, a new team and we are really excited about where we are going. A bunch of us came out with a whole new mindset after the way our season ended last year. I know personally I have worked very hard over the summer and offseason along with the rest of my teammates. We know what we need to do to get the job done. “
On Meghan Patterson…
“Coach Girouard always says once the season starts, no one is a freshman and there are no classifications. Meghan Patterson has just come out and has done what she has needed to do. She’s hit all of her spots. Everything is working for her, and she has been doing really well. “
On how to continue being successful…
“Keep the positive mindset. That’s what we need to keep working on. As long as we continue to be positive and no negativity what so ever, we will be a great team. “
Centerfielder Simone Heyward
On the team…
“During all preseason, we all worked very hard especially during two-a-days. There is always a few things that we need to work on, and there is nowhere to go but up for our team this year. The team is just working really hard. The pitchers are stepping up this year, and the freshmen are getting it done. Everybody is just making a better effort.”
On the confidence Coach Girouard has…
“Coach Girouard is actually very inspirational. For her to have confidence in me, I have to have it in my mind that this is what I have to do. I can’t let her down, and I can’t let the team down.”
On playing in Tiger Park…
“I have never played in this kind of environment in my whole life. Compared to travel ball in high school, this is above and beyond anything I have ever played in. The fans are great and there is always a great turnout in every game. We have so much support from our fans, and it feels great to be a Tiger.”