The No. 12 LSU softball team survived an early scare in Lake Charles against McNeese State on Wednesday night to pull away its 24th consecutive victory, 7-2.The Tigers (29-4, 8-0) found themselves in a 2-0 hole after the Cowgirls (18-20, 6-9) came out swinging in the bottom of the first inning.McNeese State junior outfielder Lindsey Langner drew a walk to start the bottom of the inning.Senior utility player Liz Morvant tagged a ball over the left-field wall two batters later to give the Cowgirls the 2-0 lead.Morvant’s home run was McNeese State’s only hit of the game.LSU sophomore shortstop Juliana Santos answered in the top of the third inning with a three-run home run to left field, putting the Tigers ahead, 3-2.”She came through with a big home run that kind of broke the ice for us and got it going,” said LSU coach Yvette Girouard.Santos and senior Kirsten Shortridge, who started the game in center field before moving to pitcher, combined for five of the Tigers’ six RBIs in the game.Shortridge (3-0) relieved senior pitcher Cody Trahan.  She earned the win after pitching four innings, allowing no hits and no runs, while striking out six batters and walking four.”We made one bad pitch on the night and paid for it,” Girouard said. “Shortridge came in and was phenomenal after not pitching since February.”The squad will put its 24-game winning streak to the test when the Tigers face back-to-back top-10 Southeastern Conference opponents on the road.The Tigers will travel to Gainesville, Fla., to play No. 6 Florida (24-4, 6-2) in a three-game series this weekend.The battle at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium will be a test of juggernauts as the nation’s No. 1 LSU pitching staff clashes with the nation’s No. 1 home run-hitting Gators.”They are a phenomenal team that can really hit the ball,” Girouard said. “We’re going to have to pitch as well as we pitched all year.”Trahan, freshman pitcher Rachele Fico and sophomore pitcher Brittany Mack all have ERAs below 1.00 for the Tigers and have given up a combined seven home runs this season. No Florida pitcher has an ERA below 2.21.But the Gators can bring the bats.Florida has four players with at least seven home runs, including senior outfielder Francesca Enea, who is fourth in the nation with 14 home runs.LSU’s best home run hitters are sophomore left fielder Ashley Langoni and sophomore first baseman Anissa Young with six and five home runs, respectively.LSU will be in Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a doubleheader against No. 8 Alabama (24-9, 7-4) on Wednesday.Alabama freshman infielder Kayla Braud has the second-highest batting average in the SEC at .505.Braud is fourth in the SEC in both hits (48) and runs scored (37).The back-to-back stops will be the Tigers’ first consecutive road trips of the season.LSU will travel back home after the trip for a weekend series against Mississippi State (20-16, 2-7). The teams will play two games Saturday, April 10 and one game Sunday, April 11.—-Contact Jarred LeBlanc at [email protected].