LSU coach Beth Torina went into this weekend wanting to get four wins in the ninth annual Purple & Gold Challenge.
Her team responded by going undefeated, extending its win-streak to nine games.
“I’m happy that we’re winning games,” Torina said. “Hopefully, we can continue to get better and play our best softball near the end of the season.”
The No. 5 Tigers (13-2) cruised to a pair of mercy-rule victories against Illinois State, winning both games in five innings with final scores of 10-2 and 9-1. The Tigers found themselves down early in both games because of defensive errors, a problem that has plagued the team all season.
In the first matchup against the Redbirds (3-11), senior catcher Kellsi Kloss sparked the Tigers’ offense, finishing the game 2-for-3 and hitting a pair of three-run home runs and six RBI.
When the Tigers played the Redbirds on Saturday, LSU faced another early deficit, trailing 1-0 after junior third baseman Sahvanna Jaquish was unable to cleanly field a ground ball. The Tigers quickly rebounded in the bottom of the first inning , taking advantag of a pair of miscues from by the Redbirds.
The Tigers scored two runs on a fielding error. Sophomore pitcher Sarah Finck followed up the error by plunking freshman second baseman Shemiah Sanchez.
In the bottom of the fourth, with LSU leading 2-1, Jaquish made up for her early error, stretching the Tigers lead to 6-1 with a three-run home run to left field. She would also go on to hit a walk-off double for LSU in the bottom of the fifth to complete the sweep of the Redbirds.
LSU’s next opponent, Texas Tech, challenged the Tigers in both games, nearly upsetting them in their first matchup.
The odds were stacked against LSU, with the Tigers trailing the entire contest against the Red Raiders (6-10). LSU was without its coach after Torina was tossed after arguing a call with the umpire.
“I thought it was a foul ball,” Torina said. “The umpire disagreed with me. It’s not something I’m proud of.”
Trailing the Red Raiders 2-0 with one runner on at first base, the Tigers were down to their last two outs. Jaquish stepped to the plate and knocked a home run to left field to tie the game at 2-2, sending it to extra innings.
In the bottom of the extra frame, an unlikely hero stepped up. Junior outfielder Bailey Landry hit a walkoff home-run to finish the rally. Landry, who is a slapper, isn’t known for her power-hitting ability.
“She’s crazy,” Jaquish said. “Our fans asked for crazy, we gave them insanity. A slapper hitting a walk-off home run … She’s just so strong, and I think she deserved every moment of that hit.”
The second matchup with the Red Raiders was just as competitive. The Tigers were able to defeat Texas Tech behind another strong offensive performance from Jaquish and a strong pitching outing from sophomore pitcher Carley Hoover.
In the first, Jaquish set the tone for the Tigers, blasting a home run to the newly renovated Tiger Terrace to put LSU on the board.
“It’s always great when you can put up big numbers in the beginning of the game,” Jaquish said. “It gives our defense a lot of confidence and a lot of pressure off our pitcher.”
Jaquish finished the weekend going 6-for-12 at the plate with three home runs and eight RBIs.
LSU extended its lead to 4-0 when Landry tallied her second home run in two games.
Texas Tech battled back, scoring three runs in the top of third frame, behind a wild pitch from Hoover and a fielding error from senior first baseman Sandra Simmons.
Hoover (5-0) kept the Red Raiders in check most of the way, going the distance while throwing 137 pitches, allowing three hits and fanning 15 batters — a career-high for the Clemson, South Carolina native.
“I’m not really worried about my numbers,” Hoover said. “My teammates played great defensively, and we hit the ball well. The fact that we got a W today is all that matters to me.”
LSU would go on to add an insurance run in the fifth, when Kellsi Kloss’ sacrifice fly put the team up 5-3.
The Tigers will return in Tiger Park on Tuesday, when they face the University of Louisiana Monroe at 6 p.m.
Tigers cruise to four wins in Purple & Gold Challenge
By Josh Thornton
February 28, 2016
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