After defeating No. 20 Notre Dame 3-2 Saturday afternoon, the No. 16 LSU softball team’s offense exploded late to notch a 7-1 win against the Irish on Sunday afternoon.
LSU moves to a 10-0 record in 2015 with the win, which is its best start since the 2007 season when the Tigers started 11-0 and went on to win 55 games.
“The key is to not get complacent, to not sit on this, and not stop working,” said LSU coach Beth Torina. “…We’re still seeing this team do things that they can to improve every game. It’s nice to know that we are winning games and we still have a better game possible, so that’s a really nice thing as a coach.”

Despite giving up her first career earned run in the first, freshman pitcher Allie Walljasper shut down
Notre Dame’s (5-4) lineup until the Tigers’ lineup caught fire in the fifth and sixth, scoring a combined six runs on seven hits.
The Irish got on the board in the top of the first inning with a sacrifice fly by junior first baseman Micaela Arizmendi, scoring sophomore left fielder Carley Wester.
After the first, Walljasper shut down the lineup with 12 ground outs. Through her first 23 innings as a Tiger, Walljasper has allowed only one earned run and posted a 0.30 ERA.
“I think you couldn’t ask for a whole lot more from a freshman,” Torina said. “[Walljasper] is unfazed by whatever we put her in. She’s just been tough no matter what. She’s had the demeanor with the bases loaded or with nobody on base, winning, losing or whatever it is. We’ve seen a really true competitor. The more she goes out there the more our confidence grows.”
In the third, the Tigers offense seemed primed to blow the game open when the Tigers loaded the bases with no outs and junior shortstop Bianka Bell stepped up the the plate.
Freshman left fielder Emily Griggs and senior center fielder A.J. Andrews drew back-to-back walks from Irish sophomore pitcher Rachel Nasland to open the inning. Then, sophomore right fielder Bailey Landry singled to third base to load the bases.
Bell, who leads LSU with five home runs, reached first on a fielder choice, but the Irish picked off the leading runner at home.
Sophomore third baseman Sahvanna Jaquish drove in Andrews with a fielder’s choice, but Landry was caught at third.
Despite loading the bases, the Tigers managed to score only one run and left two runners on. LSU and Notre Dame remained tied until the Tigers tallied two back-to-back three run innings in the fifth and sixth.
“We continued to go at it and trust in our plan and what our coaches were telling us,” Jaquish said. “That’s why you saw the numbers come up through our second at-bats and more adjustments.”
In the the fifth, LSU’s offense clicked into full gear fueled by its combination of speed and power at the top of the lineup.
Andrews and Landry opened up the frame with back-to-back singles, bringing Bell to the plate with two runners on and no outs.
Bell singled to shortstop and Andrews used her speed to score from second, which put LSU in the lead, 2-1.
Landry scored on a throwing error and Bell scored on a wild pitch, extending the Tigers’ lead to 4-1.
In the sixth, LSU continued to roll and scored another three runs, highlighted by Jaquish’s third home run of 2015.
Jaquish came to the plate with two outs and Bell on second. On the fourth pitch of the at-bat against Irish reliever junior Allie Rhodes, Jaquish crushed a home run just right of the left field foul pole.

“I didn’t know it was gone,” Jaquish said. “I actually thought it was going to go foul, and I was going to be so disappointed. I was really looking for that pitch the entire at-bat and she finally gave it to me and I just took advantage of it.”
LSU will take on Louisiana Tech on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Tiger Park.