The No. 19 LSU softball team swept South Carolina in three consecutive shutout games this weekend in Tiger Park.The Tigers (30-14-1, 13-9-1) celebrated their last home series of the season by saying farewell to their lone senior Dani Hofer on Sunday with a 4-0 victory against the Gamecocks (20-22, 5-19).Hofer’s senior day was bittersweet as she walked into the circle for the first time this season to throw the first pitch of the game. The senior was unable to play this season because of a wrist injury.”I wish I could have been out there for the whole game,” Hofer said. “It’s been an honor to be here for the four years.”After Hofer’s exit in the first, junior pitcher Cody Trahan (9-5) came into the game in relief, pitched seven shutout innings, struck out five batters and gave up only one hit. The lone hit was a single by the first hitter of the game, South Carolina junior outfielder Adele Voigt.”That’s probably the batter of the game that I wanted to get out for Dani,” Trahan said. “She started out the count for me at 0-1, and … I still gave up the hit.”The Tiger offense got started in the fourth inning when freshman shortstop Juliana Santos tripled to right field, scoring junior left fielder Jazz Jackson.Santos scored on an RBI ground out by sophomore second baseman Ashley Applegate, increasing the lead to 2-0.Freshman first baseman Anissa Young followed Applegate with an RBI single to right field putting the Tigers ahead by three.South Carolina’s pitching struggles throughout the series continued. Four different Gamecocks saw the mound through the first five innings.LSU junior center fielder Kirsten Shortridge scored on a single to right field by Santos in the fifth inning, making the score 4-0.South Carolina freshman pitcher Audrey Broyles (10-13) picked up her third loss of the weekend to the Tigers after she came in relief for starting pitcher sophomore Ashley Chastain in the fourth inning.Broyles pitched one third of an inning, gave up two hits and allowed two runs.LSU forced the eight-run rule in the fifth inning of both games of Saturday’s doubleheader against South Carolina as the Tigers shut out the Gamecocks, 8-0, in both contests.Shortridge dominated the weekend at the plate, going 6-for-8, scoring four runs, recording two stolen bases and hitting five RBIs. She also slapped a grand slam over the right field fence in the bottom of the second inning in game one.”She is capable of putting down a bunt, hitting with touch with the slapper and hitting the ball out with a home run,” said LSU coach Yvette Girouard.Shortridge (4-3) also pitched game two of the series. She went five shutout innings, allowed two hits and struck out three batters.Trahan pitched five shutout innings, gave up two hits and struck out seven batters to earn the win in the circle in game one.
Sunday’s win wrapped up the Tiger’s only three-game home series sweep of the season.–
Contact Jarred LeBlanc at [email protected]