Fresh off going 4-1 in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic last weekend, the No. 5 LSU softball team returned to Tiger Park to shut out South Alabama, 5-0, Wednesday night.
Even though the Jaguars (6-4) dropped out of the rankings after beginning the season at No. 23 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, LSU coach Beth Torina thinks this game could be a key win later in the season.
“I thought it was a good win for us,” said Torina. “I think as the season goes on it will prove to be a good win. South Alabama is a really good team.”
The Tigers (9-2) used a combination of strong pitching from sophomore Allie Walljasper and multiple extra-base hits from senior first baseman Sandra Simmons to tally their fifth home win of the season.
Walljasper (2-2) threw a complete shutout, giving up six hits and notching eight strikeouts.
“Allie has been really solid for us,” Torina said. “She is throwing really well right now and has done a great job for us the last few times she’s been out. We’re just real lucky to have her right now.”
Through the first three innings, the Tigers and Jaguars were locked in a pitching duel between Walljasper and freshman pitcher Devin Brown.
Walljasper held South Alabama’s lineup to only two hits while throwing four strikeouts during the first three frames. Brown recorded four of her 11 strikeouts during the same span.
While Walljasper shined in the circle, the LSU offense came alive in the third inning, sparked by a trio of senior infielders — shortstop Bianka Bell, catcher Kellsi Kloss and Simmons.
Bell got the Tigers’ offense rolling with a one-out RBI double to left field. In the very next at-bat, Kloss ripped a single up the middle to plate another run.
Simmons recorded one of her best offensive games of 2016, notching two doubles in a 2-for-3 performance at the plate.
After freshman outfielder Elyse Thornhill flied out to begin the fourth, Simmons stepped to the plate and blasted a ground-rule double.
“I’m just trusting my hands and my preparation,” Simmons said. “I have to be patient up there…I kind of just felt my groove again.”
After junior second baseman Constance Quinn advanced Simmons with an infield single, junior third baseman Sahvanna Jaquish brought both home with a two-out single, extending LSU’s lead to 4-0.
The Tigers got a little help from the Jaguars when freshman outfielder Haleigh Lane committed an error on a Bell single deep into left field, allowing Jaquish cap off the Tigers’ three-run inning.
LSU will be back in action this Friday when the Tigers face Illinois State to open the Purple & Gold Challenge at Tiger Park at 6 p.m.
You can reach Josh Thornton on Twitter @JoshT_TDR