The No. 16 LSU softball team went undefeated at the Tiger Invitational in Tiger Park this weekend.
The Tigers (13-4) won the tournament in an unconventional fashion after Friday rain delays caused rescheduling throughout the weekend. 
Each team played five games instead of having bracket and championship play, and LSU finished with the best record. The Tigers beat Houston and Jacksonville State twice and Southern once to extend their win streak to eight games. 
“It’s really hard playing the same teams over and over again,” said LSU freshman catcher Lauren Houston. “But you bury them in the first inning, and there’s no way that they can beat you.”
LSU took care of Jacksonville State, 5-1, in the Tigers’ final game on Sunday.
The Gamecocks (4-4) knotted the game at 1-1 with a solo home run in the second inning by senior left fielder Chrissy O’Neal.
But the bats came alive for the Tigers in the fifth inning, scoring four runs on three Jacksonville State errors.
Senior pitcher Cody Trahan (3-0) went the distance for the win, giving up one run and tossing 10 strikeouts.
“We’re going to have a lot of tight games,” Trahan said. “These types of games get us prepared for the season later.” 
LSU sophomore left fielder Ashley Langoni’s walk-off solo home run over the left-center field wall in the ninth inning gave the Tigers the victory, 5-4, in LSU’s first game Sunday against Houston. 
“I hadn’t been hitting the whole game, so to finally get hold of the ball felt really good,” Langoni said.
The Cougars (7-7) got on the board first with an RBI single to center field in the first inning. It was the only time in the tournament the Tigers didn’t score the opening run in a game. 
The Tigers tied it at 4-4 with an infield RBI single from junior right fielder Ashley Applegate in the sixth inning before Langoni’s walk-off home run.
LSU destroyed winless Southern, 6-0, in its first game of the tournament on Friday. The game was called after five innings when buckets of rain showered down. 
Freshman shortstop Allison Falcon had two doubles and three hits total in the game, including her first hit as a Tiger.  
The Tigers were originally scheduled to play Houston on Friday night after the Southern game, but nasty weather pushed the game back.  The layoff didn’t hurt the Tigers as they defeated Houston, 2-0, on Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore pitcher Brittany Mack (3-2) tossed a complete game shutout, striking out six, including the final batter of the game. 
“[She’s] got to have a nudge, but when she gets in that groove she’s awfully funky,” said LSU coach Yvette Girouard. “She always does well against the Texas teams.” 
LSU’s Houston recorded two hits, including her first donning the purple and gold, as LSU defeated Jacksonville State, 4-1, in LSU’s second game on Saturday. 
“She swings the bat hard,” Girouard said. “Usually if you swing the bat hard, good things are going to happen.” 
Freshman pitcher Rachele Fico (5-2) had thoughts of a perfect game shattered in the top of the fifth when Gamecocks’ sophomore catcher Kaycee Crow tied the game at 1-1, launching a solo home run to left field. 
“I just had to put it behind me,” Fico said. “I had to forget it ever happened and just move on to the next batter.” 
The home run snapped a 30-inning scoreless streak for Tiger pitchers, but Fico persevered. She threw a complete-game one-hitter, giving up one run and striking out 10 batters en route to being named the tournament MVP.
Contact Rowan Kavner at [email protected]