BATON ROUGE, La. – Graduate pitcher Ali Kilponen and Sophomore pitcher Emilee Casanova combine for LSU’s second shutout of the weekend as No. 12/14 LSU (31-6) blanks NC State (13-24), 7-0 Sunday at Tiger Park.
“It was a good version of LSU softball,” said Head Coach Beth Torina. “It was really important to be ourselves and get back on track this weekend.”
Kilponen (9-3) collected the win Sunday where she threw five strikeouts and allowed no runs on three hits and two walks. Casanova relieved Kilponen at the start of the sixth inning and logged one strikeout in 2.0 innings to complete the shutout.
Junior infielder Danieca Coffey had a perfect day at the plate as she went 3-for-3 with an RBI, a double and two runs scored. Junior infielder Raeleen Gutierrez put up a 2-for-3 performance at the plate which included her first homer since 2021. Graduate designated player Georgia Clark hit her seventh home run of the season and scored two runs in the win.
“Danieca Coffey has been leading us all year,” said Torina. “She’s such a special player. She’s a tough out at the plate. She’s got the short and power game. She has really led us all year long.”
NC State’s freshman pitcher Madison Inscoe (7-9) got the loss after allowing five runs on four hits in 1.1 innings.
For the third consecutive game, Coffey led off the first inning with a single. She made her way to third on a sac bunt and a ground out before scoring on a wild pitch. The next at bat, graduate infielder Karli Petty lined a one-run single over the shortstop’s head to give LSU the early 2-0 advantage.
The Tigers kept the runs coming with three in the second frame. Freshman catcher Maci Bergeron drew a walk before sophomore outfielder McKenzie Redoutey drove her home on an RBI double down the right field line. Coffey came to the plate and hit a ground rule double and would score a few pitches later on a stolen base and throwing error to increase the lead, 5-0.
After a couple scoreless innings, Clark led off the fifth with her seventh homer of the season. Two batters later, Gutierrez smoked her first dinger of the season off the scoreboard to stretch the Tigers’ margin, 7-0.
Casanova entered the game in the beginning of the sixth stanza and allowed just one hit to seal the 7-0 win.
On Deck
LSU will jump back into SEC competition with a three-game series against Missouri April 6-8 at Tiger Park.
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