LSU’s bats and brooms were out in full force this weekend. The No. 16 softball Tigers (39-10, 17-5) found some of their lost offensive prowess in a sweep of Kentucky (29-21, 11-14), lambasting the Wildcats 5-2, 9-3 and 3-1, respectively. ”It was a great weekend,” said LSU coach Yvette Girouard. “We found our bats early, put some innings together, we hit home runs. It was a feel-good weekend. The pitchers threw well I thought and we played great defense.”Sunday saw LSU’s best performances. The two squads played a doubleheader after LSU won a five-inning, rain-shortened affair on Saturday, 5-2. LSU used home runs from sophomore first baseman Anissa Young and sophomore shortstop Juliana Santos to outlast the pesky Wildcats in the second contest of the doubleheader. Young and Santos were each 1-for-3 while junior third baseman Jessica Mouse went 3-for-3. Senior outfielder Rachel Mitchell led LSU in the first game of the two-game set on Sunday, bruising Kentucky sophomore pitcher Rachel Riley to the tune of three RBIs and a home run. LSU racked up three home runs on Sunday, equaling its home run total in its last five games. “We played really great, and we came out and were really aggressive at the plate,” Mitchell said. “It just felt really good to go out and produce for my team and get a win.”LSU freshman right hander Rachele Fico kept up in the circle. Fico pitched complete games Saturday and Sunday, allowing only two runs in 12 innings of work.  
“Morgan was working hard behind the plate really framing pitches and we were mixing in a lot of changeups and working the rise ball,” Fico said. “We were giving the batters a different view and trying to keep them off balance. The defense played great behind me.” Girouard was more complimentary of Fico. “She was pretty clutch,” Girouard said. “She only had one bad pitch and I thought she was pretty much in complete control.”Senior outfielder Kirsten Shortridge and sophomore outfielder Ashley Langoni weren’t far behind. Shortridge went 3-for-4 with two runs while Langoni hit 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Sunday’s first outing saw LSU explode for nine runs in support of sophomore right hander Brittany Mack. Mack threw 5 2/3 innings and allowed eight hits and three earned runs. Saturday’s contest was a bit different. The game was postponed after five innings, but per NCAA rules, the game was considered finished. Shortridge went 2-for-4, Mitchell drove in three runs in a 2-for-3 effort and Mouse went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Fico threw all five frames and only allowed one earned run while fanning two Wildcat batters. With the sweep, LSU may have put an embarrassing 3-0 home loss to McNeese State this past Wednesday behind them. Only two series remain on the regular season slate.  
“An in-state loss is something that doesn’t sit easy with us but we had to put it behind us and only focus on Kentucky this weekend,” Fico said. “We really came out ready to play.” Mitchell agreed. She said she thinks the sweep will propel the Tigers along the right path as the season draws to a close. “Especially after this weekend, we got our heads back on our shoulders and we’re starting to play our game now,” Mitchell said.–
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