The No. 10 LSU softball team defeated University of Louisiana-Monroe 9-1 for its sixth straight win.
ULM took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
Freshman pitcher Maribeth Gorsuch struggled early on as she walked one batter, hit two and had two illegal pitches.
Despite the early deficit, the Tigers (28-7, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) struck back quickly in the bottom of the first.
“We made a lot of adjustments really fast,” senior third baseman Sahvanna Jaquish said. “You saw us score a lot in the first inning and big innings are really important for us.”
Back-to-back singles by junior centerfielder Emily Griggs senior right fielder Bailey Landry got things started in the first inning. A sac fly by junior pitcher Allie Walljasper tied the score 1-1.
A double by freshman first baseman Sydney Springfield left runners on second and third for for senior second baseman Constance Quinn, whose RBI-double gave LSU a 3-1 lead. A triple by sophomore shortstop Amber Serrett gave the Tigers their last run of the inning.
Jaquish drove an RBI-double down the left field line to make it 5-1 in the bottom of the second.
ULM switched pitchers in the bottom of the third inning, but that did not stop the Tigers from continuing to score runs.
“Going from pitcher to pitcher can be challenging,” LSU coach Beth Torina said. “I thought they made good adjustments all night long.”
LSU scored four more runs in the bottom of the fifth to run rule ULM, including two walks with the bases loaded.
Gorsuch settled in following the second inning, only walking two batters and only allowing two hits.
“I just trusted myself more and trusted my defense more because I know they’ll go out there and make the plays for me,” Gorsuch said.
The Tigers return home on Friday to play against Mississippi State.
“Mississippi State has a large pitching staff, kind of like what we saw tonight so we’ll have to make good adjustments,” Torina said. “I think this was good practice for that. That’s good getting some practice at making adjustments, going from pitcher to pitcher, having a different plan from pitcher to pitcher so I think that was good for us.”
