LSU softball fans got a pleasant surprise Friday night during the Tigers’ first NCAA Regional game.
Junior pitcher Dani Hofer closed the Tigers’ five-inning, 8-0 victory against Mississippi Valley State — the right-hander’s first action in nearly a month.
“Dani got to do exactly what we wanted her to do — come in and throw and get her feet wet after not throwing for about a month,” said LSU coach Yvette Girouard. “We’ll see what we’ve got from here, and we’ll see how she feels [Saturday].”
Hofer was immediately effective in her return, striking out three of the four batters she faced in the top of the fifth, despite throwing with a bandaged right wrist.
“She was throwing the ball very hard,” said Mississippi Valley State coach Lee Smith. “She didn’t look like she was hurt to me.”
Hofer had missed LSU’s past 12 games with an inflamed right wrist.
“[There’s] discomfort,” Hofer said after the game. “But it’s enough where I can just push through it and get out there on the mound. Once your adrenaline starts going, it just blocks out any kind of pain.”
Hofer’s fifth-inning dominance closed out an already strong LSU pitching performance started by freshman Casey Faile.
“I’m proud of Casey,” Girouard said. “She settled down, she gave us exactly what we wanted and she came up with a big RBI because she’s a dual threat for us.”
Faile pitched four scoreless innings, allowing only two hits and one walk while striking out seven batters. The freshman also started the Tigers’ offensive surge.
Faile drove in LSU’s first runs of the night with a two-RBI, pinch-hit single in the bottom of the third inning.
The Tigers struck again later in the third with a two-out, two-run home run to right field by sophomore center fielder Rachel Mitchell.
“Rachel gave us her customary bomb in postseason play,” Girouard said. “We hope that will continue.”
LSU would stretch the lead to 7-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning with more clutch two-out hitting.
After the Devilettes retired the first two batters, the Tigers got things going with singles by freshman third baseman Jessica Mouse and sophomore left fielder Jazz Jackson.
Senior designated player Dee Dee Henderson then drove Mouse home with a single of her own, and senior second baseman Shannon Stein brought Jackson and Henderson home with a double before being thrown out at third base.
“I thought LSU did a good job of hitting the ball in two-out situations and getting their runs across,” Smith said.
In contrast, the Tigers started things off early in the bottom of the fifth as a single by Mitchell and a double by freshman right fielder Ashley Applegate put two runners in scoring position with no outs.
After a ground out by senior catcher Killian Roessner, senior shortstop Tayl’r Hollis ended the game with a RBI-single to center field.
The Tigers will now face UL-Lafayette, Girouard’s former school, Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Ragin’ Cajuns played their way into Saturday’s matchup with a 2-1 victory against East Carolina in Friday’s first game.
“There was an awful lot of red and white [the Ragin’ Cajuns’ colors] out there tonight,” Girouard said. “I’m calling out the Tiger fans to show up.”
Girouard, who was UL-Lafayette’s softball coach for 20 seasons, said LSU needs strong crowd support in what she expects to be a tough game against her former team.
“That is the one sport at the school that can compete on a national level,” Girouard said. “They’re a very good program, and there’s a lot of people that are very proud of that team — and rightfully so. But we need our purple and gold clan to answer the call of the bell here.”
—-Contact Jerit Roser at [email protected]