LSU softball opened up its season with an 8-0 win over Nicholls State on Thursday, showing dominant hitting and pitching.
The Tigers mercy ruled the Colonels with eight runs in five innings.
Taylor Pleasants finished the night with two runs and three runners batted in. Raeleen Gutierrez had two hits, one being the Tigers’ first home run of the season.
“I think it’s a good stepping stone for us to continue to find things to get better at and just keep doing us, keep being us,” Pleasants said.
Starting in the circle for the Tigers was sophomore Sydney Berzon. She pitched her fifth shutout for LSU and only allowed two hits.
“I just put so much hard work in in the offseason, and I was ready to show it,” Berzon said. “It really all came together tonight, and it was super cool to see.”
In the fourth inning, Nicholls had the bases loaded with two outs. Berzon struck out catcher Rylie Rutherford to keep the Colonels scoreless. It was her eighth and final strike out of the night in just five innings.
After a 0-0 first inning, the momentum changed for the Tigers.
Gutierrez stepped up to the plate and hit a home run past the fence in right field to put LSU up 1-0 in the second inning. She also had a single to far left field in the fourth inning. Even as the last batter in the lineup, she went 2-2.
“The first home run of the year came out of the nine hold. It seems almost ironic,” head coach Beth Torina said. “We’ve debated about who to put in that spot… it’s no surprise that anyone in that lineup could’ve done that.”
Continuing the hot streak in the third inning, Pleasants and Ali Newland got on base. McKenzie Redoutey then tripled from a hit to the left-field fence, bringing in both batters. Karli Petty singled to hit in Redoutey, and the Tigers had a 4-0 lead.
Pleasants’ next at bat in the fourth inning ultimately sealed the win for the Tigers.
With the bases loaded, Pleasants hit a ground ball that bolted past first baseman Alexa Poche’ and went to the fence. Ciara Briggs, Gutierrez and Madilyn Giglio scored. Pleasants made it to third, but she wasn’t done yet.
Pleasants capitalized on an overthrown ball to third and went home. This gave LSU an 8-0 lead.
“Coming off tonight, we’re all super excited to be here,” Berzon said. “Super excited that it’s the first weekend, so just continuing it and keeping the energy level.”
LSU Invitational preview
The Tigers will host Memphis and Pittsburgh in the LSU Invitational from Feb. 9 to Feb. 10. The weekend will start with a battle between the Tigers when LSU and Memphis play on Friday at 4 p.m. Then, LSU will follow with a game against Pittsburgh at 6.30 p.m.
The invitational continues on Saturday when the Tigers play Pittsburgh at 1:30 p.m. Their final game is against Memphis at 4 p.m.
In the Tigers’ season opener against Nicholls, they showed off their heated bats and near-perfect defense.
Since Berzon pitched a shutout against Nicholls, it’s likely Torina will use the invitational as an opportunity to show off multiple pitchers. However, Berzon will definitely reappear in the circle throughout the weekend.
Berzon’s multiple strikeouts carried the team to a shutout, but the Tigers’ offense ultimately secured the win.
“I feel no stress when I’m on the mound. They’ve got my back,” Berzon said. “It puts me in a great position when I’m out there.”
The Tigers showed depth in their lineup from top to bottom. With double headers on Friday and Saturday, the talent in their roster allows them to rotate players in and out.
The Tigers are coming off of their 2023 season, where they recorded 42 wins and 17 losses, with an SEC record of 13-11.
But if the Tigers continue to perform at the same elite level shown against the Colonels, they can be unstoppable.
