The LSU softball team went 5-1 over the weekend to win its seventh Easton Purple and Gold Challenge in eight seasons.
The Tigers powered their way through the opening games of the tournament Friday with four total home runs. They defeated Southern Miss, 8-5, on Friday afternoon and then shut out South Alabama, 7-0, that night. Senior catcher Killian Roessner led the attack with two home runs against Southern Miss, and senior third baseman Tayl’r Hollis added four RBIs.
The second day of games featured setbacks as the Tigers split games with Penn State and Tulsa. In the first game, the Nittany Lions shut out the Tigers, 3-0, with the only LSU hit coming from Roessner.
LSU’s second effort of the day was a bit better, with freshman pitcher Casey Faile striking out six and allowing just two runs in a 4-2 win. She also added a double which allowed for senior second baseman Shannon Stein to bat in the winning runs.
With Tulsa eliminating Penn State in the early game Sunday, LSU played South Alabama with a chance to face Tulsa in the championship game. Sophomore pitcher Cody Trahan improved on her performances earlier in the weekend. After overcoming a first-inning jam, she turned in a four-hit, 10-strikeout shutout.
“I was a little shaken up by an illegal pitch call, and it took a while to calm down,” Trahan said. “After that I started hitting my spots a little better, and it got better after that.”
Faile supplied the game’s only run with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth. The 1-0 victory sent LSU to the tournament’s final game.
The Tigers took a different approach to the final against Tulsa. Junior pitcher Dani Hofer turned in a one-run complete game, but it was LSU’s bats that highlighted the day.
Outfielders Dee Dee Henderson and Jazz Jackson terrorized Tulsa throughout the game, each contributing two hits and combining for three stolen bases, but it was a two-run home run for Roessner that broke the game open.
“Everybody in the lineup contributed at least one thing today, and I happened to get lucky and get the home run,” Roessner said. “Dee Dee and [Jackson] set the tone for almost every inning that we scored runs in.”
Sophomore outfielder Rachel Mitchell batted in two runs, and Stein reached home on a wild pitch to help the Tigers to the 6-1 victory and another Purple and Gold Challenge crown.
“It’s always good to have an easier game,” Trahan said. “With a close game like [Sunday’s first game] there’s a lot of nerves and a lot of tension, and you can feel it in your body afterwards.”
Hollis was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player for her five-hit, five-RBI performance.
After playing six games in three days, the Tigers travel to Nicholls State on Wednesday before starting a three-game series with Georgia at Tiger Park next weekend.
—-Contact David Helman at [email protected]