BATON ROUGE — The 11th-ranked Tiger softball team takes a break from Southeastern Conference action this weekend as they host the McNeese State Cowgirls in a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Tiger Park beginning at 1 p.m.
LSU (29-11) has won three straight games and four of its last five, including a doubleheader sweep over Centenary on Wednesday night, 4-0 and 2-0. McNeese State (14-20-1) has lost three of its last four, but took 2-of-3 from Stephen F. Austin two weeks ago.
“It’s fun to step away from SEC play and have a non-conference weekend doubleheader,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “Like other in-state opponents, we know that McNeese is going to try to come in here and take a win from us. They always give us a good game and this should be a great contest.”
In the Tigers’ first game against Centenary on Wednesday, junior Kristin Schmidt recorded her third complete-game no-hitter and fourth no-no of the season. The Houston native was one hit batter from the third perfect game in LSU history. The no-hitter was the 23rd in Tiger softball history and the fifth of the season for LSU.
In the second game, she came on in relief in the top of the seventh with one out and the tying run on second. She proceeded to record back-to-back strikeouts to end the game, earning her third save of the season.
Junior LaDonia Hughes tied the school single-game record with a 4-for-4 performance in the first game and came back to go 1-for-3 in game two, improving her average to .285 on the season. In addition, the centerfielder from Farmville, Va., also scored three of the Tigers’ six runs on the day.
Since LSU reinstated its softball program in 1997, the Tigers are 11-0 all-time against McNeese State. LSU is 9-0 against the Cowgirls in Baton Rouge and 2-0 in Lake Charles.
LSU is now 69-4 (.945) all-time against teams from Louisiana. The Tigers boast undefeated records against Centenary (8-0), Grambling State (2-0), Louisiana Tech (6-0), UL-Monroe (2-0), McNeese State (11-0), Northwestern State (19-0), Southeastern Louisiana (3-0) and Southern (2-0). LSU’s only losses to in-state schools are to UL-Lafayette and Nicholls State. The Tigers are 10-3 all-time against ULL and 6-1 all-time against the Lady Colonels.
LSU returns to action again against Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday in a single game at 6:30 p.m. in Tiger Park. The game was originally scheduled for March 6, but was cancelled due to rain. LSU will then travel to Thibodaux for a single game with Nicholls State on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The Tigers defeated the Lady Colonels, 5-3 in nine innings earlier in the season.