LSU softball seemed to have control of all aspects of the game Wednesday night against Nicholls State. Ali Kilponnen pitched a no-hitter and the Tigers’ bats reached a new level.
Coming off of a winless series at Texas, Coach Beth Torina told the team to just play the game like she knows they are capable of, and to have fun.
“I think we definitely wanted to be big in this game,” Coach Torina said following the win. “I think we definitely wanted to come out and do our job, and make sure we’re built in confidence.”
They executed with ease on all sides of the game, and that is why they came away with a shutout, 12-0 win.
Ali Kilponnen held the fort down on the mound, striking out 11 out of 17 batters faced in five innings pitched.
“I think the main thing I try and focus on is ‘one pitch at a time,’” Kilponnen said following her performance. “Just making sure that I execute that one pitch to the best of my ability and making sure that I’m able to stay in good counts with doing that.”
Along with that philosophy, and the adjustments she made to her mechanics following the series with Texas, Kilponnen was able to come away with the no-hitter, only having walked one batter in the first inning.
“I think it’s kind of a surreal moment, it’s something that I’ve worked for,” Kilponnen said. “I just had to put my trust in my coach and myself and my teammates.”
At the plate, the Tigers put up above-average numbers, hitting a grand total of 14 hits in the game. Ciara Briggs and Taylor Pleasants each went 3-for-3, and Ali Newland and Savannah Stewart each went 2-for-2. Newland and Georgia Clark both added doubles. Kennedi Houshmanzadeh led the team with three RBIs off of her home run, and Briggs, Clark and Newland each had two RBIs.
Right from the first pitch, LSU spread the ball all around the field, got each other around the bases and came out of the first inning with a 4-0 lead.
However, just when the Tigers heated up in the first, they caught fire in the second inning. LSU started the innings with some small ball, as Savannah Stewart and Daneica Coffey both bunted for singles. But they flexed their power bats to get those runners in with Ciara Briggs, Taylor Pleasants and Georgia Clark.
After McKenzie Redoutey walked and Ali Newland singled to center field, Kennedi Houshmanzadeh hit a three home run to left field. When the second inning finally came to an end, the Tigers flexed an 11-0 lead.
The Tigers continued to roll through the next three innings, scoring one final run in the third. After Kilponnen struck out the final three batters in the fifth inning, the mercy rule came into effect, and the Tigers secured a 12-0 win in five innings.
This is Ali Kilponnen’s first no-hitter, and it comes with great timing headed into the team’s upcoming series at Arkansas.
“They’re good, they’re solid,” Coach Torina said of Arkansas. “They’re Top-10, SEC co-champs last year. They have an All-American pitcher returning on the mound, Mary Haff, who is tough for anybody to go in and see. They live and die by the long ball, they are a little more this year, but they live and die by the long ball. So we’ll have to control their offense and keep them from that one big swing.”
LSU will take on Arkansas in a three game, three-day series starting Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT at Bogle Park on the campus of the University of Arkansas.

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Savanna Orgeron

LSU softball redshirt sophomore infielder Taylor Pleasants (17) smiles after throwing out the runner at first Saturday, March 12, 2022 during LSU's 13-6 win against Alabama at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge, La.