LAFAYETTE, La. – Third-ranked LSU swept the regular season two-game series against UL Lafayette by rallying from a 4-0 deficit in the 11-4 victory Tuesday night at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.
LSU improves to 30-2 on the season and is now 5-0 against schools from Louisiana. UL Lafayette falls to 16-15.
The Ragin’ Cajuns scored four runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a 4-0 lead, but the Tigers responded with a six-spot in the top of the fourth and pulled away with five runs in the fifth.
Jayden Heavener (9-1) picked up the win in relief after fanning six and allowing two hits and two walks in 4.1 innings. Pitcher Ashley Vallejo made the start and finished with one strikeout and surrendered four runs on four hits and one walk in the opening 2.2 frames.
ULL’s pitcher Tyra Clary earned the loss and moved to 4-3 in the circle. Clary struck out three batters and gave up six runs (four earned), five hits and four walks in 3.2 innings.
LSU outhit ULL 8-6, with six starters recording at least one hit. Catcher Maci Bergeron led the way, batting 2-for-4 and driving in four runs, and outfielder Jadyn Laneaux went 2-for-3, scored two runs and had one RBI. Infielder Avery Hodge hit the go-ahead home run in the fourth inning for her first career four-bagger and ended the game with three RBI.
After 2.2 scoreless innings, ULL scored four unanswered runs behind a three-run double by infielder Emily Smith and an RBI single by infielder Sam Roe.
LSU answered in the top of the fourth with six runs on five hits and one ULL error. Outfielder McKenzie Redoutey doubled down the right field line to bring home infielder Tori Edwards, who drew a leadoff walk. Laneaux reached on an error and grabbed an RBI after two runners touched home plate, and Hodge hit a two-run laser to right field to give LSU a 5-3 lead. After outfielder Jalia Lassiter hit a two-out double, Bergeron singled to the left-center gap to tack on one more run for the Tigers. LSU had a shutdown inning in the bottom half, highlighted by a pair of strikeouts by Heavener, and took a 6-4 advantage to the fifth.
The Tigers walked in two runs in the fifth before Bergeron hit another gapper that cleared the bases, making the score 11-4.
Each club had one base runner for the remainder of the game, and Heavener struck out three batters in the final two stanzas, including two in the seventh inning to close the game.
Up Next
LSU will host a top 10 series versus No. 10/11 South Carolina at Tiger Park on March 28-30.
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