Former New York Yankee Reggie Jackson earned the nickname “Mr. October” for his clutch hitting in the postseason.
LSU junior infielder Anissa Young has earned the nickname “Ms. April” from coach Yvette Girouard for her recent late-inning heroics.
Young’s clutch hitting was on display Wednesday as No. 21 LSU (26-12) defeated McNeese State 4-2 in nine innings in Lake Charles. Young laced a single into left field with two outs in the top of the ninth, scoring freshman outfielders Jacee Blades and Simone Heyward.
Young had walk-off home runs in consecutive games against then-No. 1 Alabama, which helped give LSU its first series sweep of a top-ranked opponent.
“Anissa had a rough day at the plate,” Girouard said. “But she came through with the big hit. Hopefully she can continue that.”
The Tigers carried a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh, but sophomore pitcher Rachele Fico (10-8) failed to close the door on the Cowgirls (22-22). McNeese State’s Molly Guidry and Alanna DiVittorio each hit solo home runs to even the score.
“I thought Fico was in total control,” Girouard said. “She just made a few mistakes and let them right back in it.”
Fico battled back and retired the side in the eighth inning. She nearly lost the lead again in the ninth, loading the bases on three walks with one out in the inning. The Oxford, Conn., native retired the next two batters to secure the victory for LSU.
“Losing the lead was not on my mind at all,” Fico said. “I had faith in my defense. We had a game plan, and things fell into place.”
Fico also gave up a seventh-inning lead in the second game of the Alabama series. Girouard said she doesn’t know why Fico has recently had trouble closing games.
“I don’t know if teams are adjusting to her or if she’s losing focus,” Girouard said. “But we’ll have to look at video and see what’s going on.”
The Tigers swept the season series with the Cowgirls. LSU defeated McNeese 7-1 in Baton Rouge on Feb. 23.
LSU has won 21 of its 23 meetings with McNeese State — the Cowgirls’ two victories came in each of the last two seasons.
Girouard said playing in Lake Charles has always been a struggle for her squad.
“It’s just always hard for us to win here,” Girouard said. “So we’ll take the win.”
The Tigers ride an 11-game winning streak into a showdown with No. 6 Tennessee this weekend. Young said the team needs to focus on its mental game to take care of any inconsistencies before facing the Volunteers.
“We have to play Tiger softball every game, no matter who we’re playing,” Young said. “I think we lose sight of that in some innings.”
 
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Contact Hunter Paniagua at [email protected]