Perfect Game, Two Shutouts Leads No. 10 LSU to a Pair of Victories on Opening Day

BATON ROUGE, La. – Freshman pitcher Jayden Heavener was the star of the day after tossing a perfect game in the season opener against Charlotte, and Sydney Berzon followed with a two-hit shutout against Central Arkansas to aid No. 9/10 LSU in a pair of run-rule victories on day one of the Tiger Classic at Tiger Park.  

The Tigers defeated Charlotte (1-1) 8-0 in six innings, and Central Arkansas (1-1) 10-0 in five. LSU improved to 25-4 in season-opening games since 1997 and extended its streak to 11 wins in such contests.

Heavener’s collegiate debut became the program’s sixth perfect game in team history and first since Maribeth Gorsuch’s seven-inning perfect game against Belmont on Feb. 22, 2020. Friday night was the third perfect game under head coach Beth Torina and the first LSU pitcher to do it in their first game. The left-handed pitcher fanned 13 batters.

“I was over at third base, and we were about to end the game. I thought to myself, what a storybook moment it was,” said Head Coach Beth Torina. “The theme this year is about writing a book, and I was just thinking about what a moment we have with this incredible player. She comes out – everybody has been waiting for this moment – and she throws a perfect game in her first time out here at Tiger Park. It was an incredible day for the team.”

Berzon followed with her eighth career shutout with five strikeouts and held the opposing Central Arkansas batters to a .118 batting average in 5.0 innings.

At the plate, LSU batted .457 on 21 hits, had 16 RBI and scored 18 runs. In her return, Danieca Coffey hit .750, going 3-for-4 at the dish, and had team-highs of three RBI and three runs. Maddox McKee (.667) paced the team with four hits, and McKaela Walker turned in a .600 batting average on three hits and scored three runs. Maci Bergeron’s 2-for-3 day was capped by the season’s first home run. Bergeron also drew a team-best four walks.

“The offense did a great job,” said Coach Torina. “Postgame, the coaches complimented them on their effective base-running. I think our speed played a factor, as we had hoped. The way they ran the bases set the tone for the season and who they want to be. Obviously, we had some big swings mixed in there as well.”

Game One

It was all Heavener (1-0) in game one as she struck out 13 Charlotte Miners in 6.0 innings and struck out the side three times. Six of her first seven strikeouts were swinging, and she concluded the game with 10 total swinging strikeouts.

Offensively, LSU tallied 10 hits. Coffey, Tori Edwards and Walker had two hits, and Coffey, McKee and Walker had two RBI.

In the opening inning, Coffey picked up where she left off last season with a leadoff single, increasing her hitting streak to 11 games. Coffey scored the game’s first run from second base off an RBI single by Edwards, and McKee’s sacrifice fly gave LSU an early 2-0 lead over Charlotte.

After two scoreless frames, Jalia Lassiter’s run-scoring double plated Coffey in the fourth. LSU busted the game open in the fifth with three runs that featured back-to-back RBI singles by McKee and Walker, respectively and a sac fly by Coffey. LSU put the game away in the bottom of the sixth after Walker’s RBI double down the left field line, and Coffey walked in a run to secure the season-opening run-rule, 8-0.

Game Two

LSU’s bats stayed consistent in game two, logging 11 hits in the 10-0 five-inning win over Central Arkansas. McKee went 3-for-3 at the plate and scored three runs, and Sierra Daniel was 2-for-2 with two RBI in her first start of the season.

After Berzon (1-0) recorded her first two strikeouts of the game in the top of the second inning, the offense came through in the bottom half with three runs. McKee and Walker singled, and both were in scoring position when Avery Hodge brought them home on a two-RBI single to right field. Daniel continued to pass the bat with a single to advance Hodge to third, and Coffey ended the streak of five consecutive singles, scoring Hodge to build a 3-0 lead for the home team.

Berzon retired UCA’s first 11 batters before giving up consecutive singles in the fourth frame. However, the offense backed her up by putting up a seven-piece in the bottom of the inning, capped by a two-run shot by Bergeron, the team’s first home run.

LSU retired UCA’s batters in order, ending with a strikeout by Berzon, her fifth of the game. Berzon retired 15 of the 17 batters she faced. 

Up Next

LSU will have another doubleheader against Charlotte and Central Arkansas on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively. 

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