BATON ROUGE – After claiming a 11-0 five-inning victory over LA Tech on Wednesday night, the No. 6 LSU Softball team will host the Purple & Gold Challenge Friday and Saturday in Tiger Park.
Friday and Saturday’s LSU games will stream online through SEC Network+ and WatchESPN with Hall of Famers Lyn Rollins and Yvette Girouard on the call. Live stats for each game will be available at LSUStats.com
LSU Invitational Schedule
Feb. 21 – LSU vs. Belmont, Tiger Park, 3:30 p.m., SECN+
Feb. 21 – LSU vs. Sam Houston State, Tiger Park, 6 p.m., SECN+
Feb. 22 – LSU vs. Sam Houston State, Tiger Park, 2:30 p.m., SECN+
Feb. 22 – LSU vs. Belmont, Tiger Park, 5 p.m., SECN+
For a full schedule on the weekend, click here.
Series Record Against…
Belmont: First Meeting
Sam Houston State: The Bearkats lead, 1-0
About the Tigers
The Tigers go into the weekend with an overall record of 9-1 after claiming an 11-0 five-inning one-hit shutout of LA Tech on Wednesday night. The Tigers hit four home runs in the game and Maribeth Gorsuch faced two batters over the minimum to get her second on the year.
Taylor Pleasants continues to lead the Tigers and the SEC with a .520 batting average. In the circle, Ali Kilponen and Shelby Wickersham both have 0.00 ERAs. Kilponen is 3-0 with two saves.
The Field
Belmont (1-3)
Belmont’s only win on the year came in its season opener last weekend, getting a 7-2 win over Western Michigan. Since then, the Bruins have lost three straight. Cheyenne Cavanaugh leads the Bruins with a .533 batting average. She has eight hits in 15 at-bats with two doubles and an RBI. Brittany Kennett owns a 2.93 ERA in the circle. She is 1-1 and has 24 strikeouts in 14.1 innings of work.
Sam Houston State (4-7)
The Bearkats are currently on a four-game losing streak. They recently fell to Houston on Wednesday, 11-3. They have wins over George Mason on three separate occasions and Providence. Megan McDonald leads the team with a .462 mark. She has 18 hits in 39 at-bats with two doubles and nine RBI. In the circle, Darby Fitzpatrick leads with a 4.20 earned run average and a 1-1 record. Regan Dunn has the most innings on the team at 25 and has struck out 26 batters. She owns a 4.48 ERA and is 2-2 on the year.
What’s On Deck
The Tigers will make their first big road trip of the year, traveling to Fullerton, California for the Judi Garman Classic. The Tigers will face top opponents in Loyola Marymount, Texas Tech, California, Washington and Colorado State.
Fan Central
– We will still have an entry gate behind centerfield for those of you that have general admission seating for the Tiger Park Terrance or Outfield Bleachers, but it will be moved slightly to the south behind The Mike. This entrance will open 1.5 hours prior to all LSU games. It will not be open for non-LSU games.
– We now have permanent restrooms behind centerfield and attached to The Mike. These restrooms will be open 3 hours prior to the first pitch of all LSU games and one hour prior for tournament games that do not include LSU. The soccer restrooms will not be open to the public this season. We encourage you to tailgate in the grass areas on the west side of the Soccer Complex behind their bleachers and main entrance.
– For select home games, LSU Concessions will offer an enhanced menu that includes Chicken Tenders, Fresh Cooked Burgers Dressed (Lettuce, Tomato, Onion), Fries, Fresh Boudin Links and Jambalaya. Catfish Baskets will be served on Lenten Fridays.
– Addition of beer and wine sales at all home games – graphic attached. Sales will end at the top of the 5th inning. Service limit – 2 per person. Alcohol will be poured into a cup.
– Guest Services hotline number 225-578-4085.
– Follow @LSUgameops on Twitter for game time and weather updates throughout the season.