BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU softball team opens a stretch of four consecutive home games beginning on Tuesday evening, hosting the Nicholls State University Colonels at 6 p.m. at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge.
A live stream of Tuesday’s game will be available on SEC Network+ through WatchESPN, with live stats available at LSUsports.net and updates through the team’s social media pages on both Facebook and Twitter. Fans unable to catch the stream can hear all of the action on the radio home for LSU softball on ESPN 104.5/9 in Baton Rouge and in the Geaux Zone.
Wednesday game is the third in the “Louisiana Purchase” series this season, as fans who come to the game are encouraged to have theirs stamped upon entry as by the end of the year, fans with a fully stamped card will receive an LSU softball duffel bag.
The Tigers are coming off of a big SEC showdown with the Florida Gators this past weekend, leaving Gainesville with a confidence-building 2-1 series victory to improve to 27-1 on the year and 5-1 in Southeastern Conference play. In a matchup of top-five teams, the Tigers rose to the occasion in their first true road test of the season to take the last two games of the weekend by a 24-13 margin, outhitting the Gators in every game of the series.
“We have a lot of weapons, and I think when we have something go wrong in one area we have enough in other areas to help cover that up,” head coach Beth Torina said. “I just think we have a lot of things going for us right now, and I’m really proud of what they accomplished this weekend.”
Leading the charge offensively for the Tigers at the plate was Bianka Bell, who on Monday was named both the SEC and LSWA Player of the Week. In her home state, Bell put on a show hitting over .700 with 10 hits, including earning hits in her first six at-bats of the weekend to open the series. She earned a career high four hits on Friday, while driving in a career best five RBIs on Sunday in the clincher, hitting the go-ahead three-run home run to break a 3-3 tie, while knocking a two RBI double later that game.
She helped lead an LSU offense that hit .371 on the weekend with 36 total hits, including Bailey Landry extending her hitting streak to 20 games, while she and A.J. Andrews each earned four hits in the same game. Arguably the biggest that helped shift the tide for the rest of the weekend in the Tigers’ favor was the grand slam by Kellsi Kloss in the top of the seventh inning in game two after Florida tied the game at 10-10 on a grand slam of their own just the inning before.
One area that was keyed in on from the jump was the sub-1.00 earned run averages both teams sported heading into the series. The offense stole the show, leaving the ERA’s of both sides a little bruised, but still low enough to be some of the best in the nation still this far into the campaign.
The only pitcher of the seven that threw on the weekend that could lay claim to a complete game win was Kelsee Selman, who also took home LSWA honors on Monday. Save for one pitch that led to a three-run home run, Selman was lights-out in the circle as she fanned a season high 11 batters, while scattering just four hits in her second consecutive start lasting at least seven innings.
LSU now turns its attention to the streaking Colonels who come into the game sitting at 16-8 overall on the year and 4-2 in Southland Conference, having won their last two conference series after taking two of three from Sam Houston State over the weekend. The Tigers are 27-1 all-time against Nicholls in program history, earning a 9-0 victory in five innings last season in Thibodaux.
For all of the latest news and information on Tiger softball, visit www.lsusports.net/softball. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/lsusoftball along with @lsusoftball and @BethTorina on Twitter and @lsusb on Instagram.