After its weekend series against the No. 1 team in the nation and a matchup against the defending national champions looming, the LSU softball team was in dire need of a tune-up game.
Thank god for Nicholls State.
Freshman pitcher Baylee Corbello manhandled the Colonels’ lineup and the Tigers’ lineup thrived in a 9-0 win Wednesday night against an inferior Nicholls State (8-22, 0-5 Southland Conference) team. The game lasted only five innings, marking the eighth time this season LSU (19-10, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) has won via the mercy rule.
The victory comes after LSU lost two out of three games to No. 1 Florida. The Tigers almost won the series, blowing a three run lead in the seventh inning last Friday.
Corbello never showed signs of weakness, allowing one hit in five innings. Despite averaging more than five walks a start coming into the game, she allowed no walks and 12 strikeouts. Only six Colonels were able to put the ball into play against the stud freshman.
The pitching masterpiece is only the latest in a series of great outings for Corbello. The Lake Charles native has thrown 11 complete games in her 13 starts, and leads all pitchers on the team with a 1.63 earned run average.
Coach Beth Torina said it was one of the best days she has seen from Corbello, and she was impressed by her control.
After a stagnant first inning, the LSU offense got things rolling in the second, as six consecutive Tigers reached base, resulting in four runs. The onslaught included a two-run double from junior centerfielder A.J. Andrews and a pair of RBI singles from freshman outfielder Bailey Landry and senior infielder Allison Falcon.
Landry went 2-for-3 in her first game batting second in the order. The Prairieville native has recently been added to the starting lineup, sporting a .364 batting average coming into Wednesday.
The Tigers extended their blowout in the fifth inning, beginning with singles from sophomore shortstop Bianka Bell and freshman catcher Sahvanna Jaquish. After a hit batter and a walk batter scored the first run of the inning, freshman infielder Constance Quinn’s two–run single further opened the floodgates.
As an eighth run came via a fielder’s choice, the Tigers had .gained the necessary lead to win in five innings, and it was time for Corbello to fool batters one more inning.
The pitcher would strike out the first three batters she faced in the fifth, but a dropped third strike on the final batter kept the Colonels in the game. Corbello rebounded quickly, striking out the next batter to end the game.
LSU will head to Norman, Okla., on Saturday to take on No. 22 Oklahoma, the defending national champions.
Although the Sooners have lost some of their key players from last season, Torina wants her players focused for a important weekend.
“Although it’s a non-SEC week, we are preparing and treating this week the same to make sure we are as sharp as possible going forward,” Torina said. “We are playing some very good teams this week, and we need to be on the top of our game.”