The No. 12 LSU softball team walked away from the first day of the LSU Invitational with a pair of wins.
Junior pitcher Carley Hoover started in the circle for the second game of the LSU Invitational against Florida Atlantic University and despite a few close calls, Hoover managed to keep the Owls to one run on two hits in a 5-1 win.
The pressure of pitching with runners on base is something Hoover looks forward to.
“When there’s runners on base, I feel like I pitch better,” Hoover said. “ It puts a little more pressure on me so it’s more fun.”
The Tigers struck first against Florida Atlantic with a two-RBI single from junior outfielder Emily Griggs in the bottom of the second inning.
In the top of the third, Hoover struggled to get the ball in the strike zone and walked two in a row. With two runners on base, Hoover managed to get out of the jam and notched five strikes in three innings.
Sophomore shortstop Amber Serrett got Hoover and the Tigers out of another jam to keep FAU scoreless with a bare-handed grab to first base.
“That play set us up for scoring runs in the next inning,” Hoover said. “[Serrett] is great and she’s a leader.”
The Tigers offense came back in the bottom of the fifth when an RBI single from freshman infielder Amanda Doyle, putting the Tigers ahead 3-0.
Hoover shut down the sixth inning with her 11th strikeout giving the Tigers more confidence with their 4-0 lead.
With only one out, Landry hit an RBI sac-fly to left field to score freshman outfielder Aliyah Andrews.
Despite giving up a homer to FAU, Hoover was able to easily find the strike zone, handing out a strike out to end the game.
“Carley Hoover is a competitor,” Griggs said. “ You could throw her out there against whoever and she does not care what it says across their chest, she is going to go right at them.”
Earlier in the day, the Tigers came back to Tiger Park to defeat Illinois State in five innings, 10-2.
Freshman pitcher Maribeth Gorsuch started in the circle for the Tigers and earned her second win of her career, her first came last weekend.
After a quick two outs in the first from Gorsuch, a two-run double put the Redbirds on the board first.
The Tigers answered on a RBI single from freshman first baseman Amanda Doyle.
Senior right fielder Bailey Landry slid into the base before the catcher could tag her, cutting ISU’s lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the first.
Struggling a bit with pitching in the top of the second, coach Beth Torina headed to the circle to meet with the team. Gorsuch closed out the inning quickly and escaped the the two-on, one-out jam.
She retired all 11 batters she faced the rest of the game.
“I liked the fist pump to end the game,” Torina said. “I just like [Gorsuch’s] energy and her demeanor and the more she gets comfortable and confident, the more you’re going to see that.”
The Tigers tied the game 2-2 in the second inning when freshman second baseman Nicky Dawson singled up the middle off the shortstop’s glove earning her first RBI of her career.
“Nicky Dawson puts in a lot of work,” Griggs said. “It was awesome to see that she finally got the RBI that she’s been working for and she’s super fast.”
Griggs came right behind and singled through the right side, advanced to second on a throw to home plate which put Dawson on third.
The Tigers offense exploded in the fourth inning scoring six runs on six hits.
“We did so many cool things defensively that we were kind of able to get a lift from the things we did defensively,” Torina said. “It’s always fun to let that carry over into your offense.”
An RBI double from Griggs put the Tigers up 5-2 to start off the inning.
Dawson beat out a throw to home plate, to give the Tigers another run, her second of the night.
“Nicky is fast,” Torina said. “It’s unreal how fast she is. We were reminded of that tonight that the kid just flies.”
Senior catcher Sahvanna Jaquish drove an RBI single toward left and advanced on a throw to home plate notching her 22nd RBI of the season.
“Once we started putting hits together, it was just like a chain reaction,” Griggs said.
The Tigers went up 10-2 after an RBI single from junior left fielder Elyse Thornhill.
“We have to work on not being so up and down,” Hoover said. “In preseason, we still try to find ourselves. We try to find where we play best. Sometimes it’s like a roller coaster in the dugout, and when we can find that happy medium, that’s when we are going to be our most successful.
