LSU’s first three games of the Tiger Classic showcased immense control on the mound and at the plate. One of those games ended in a battle until the very end.
The Tigers’ home opener on Thursday was completed in just five innings. It was a chilly night in Baton Rouge as LSU faced North Carolina State for its first game of the season, but its bats were hot. The Tigers overpowered the NC State Wolfpack 11-3.
Sophomore pitcher Jayden Heavener earned the starting spot on the mound, answering a question fans had all offseason of who would be the No. 1 pitcher. In that start, she claimed her first win of 2026, pitching all five innings. Heavener concluded Thursday night with 10 strikeouts and only three runs and three walks allowed.
Senior outfielder Jalia Lassiter kickstarted the Tigers’ offense in the leadoff spot, contributing three RBIs in her at-bats. Right behind her was junior second base Sierra Daniel, who went 2-of-4 to add two more RBIs.
Sophomore outfielder Alix Franklin had a phenomenal performance at the plate in just her second career start to aid in the Tigers’ powerful offensive efforts. Franklin hit two triples on the night, making her the first Tiger to hit multiple triples in a single game since 2017. She knocked in an additional two RBIs and scored one run in the third.
“We showed that we have a lineup that is going to be deep,” head coach Beth Torina said after Thursday’s matchup. “You see that with Alix Franklin in the eight-hole hitting two triples. It just showed that we will have a lineup that will be potent.”
To start off Friday afternoon against Nevada, it seemed the Tigers’ bats hadn’t cooled off from the night before.
A few walks and wild pitches from Nevada’s Talia Tretton allowed LSU runners to load the bases in the first. Junior designated player Ally Hutchins smoked a ball out to left that almost left the park, earning herself a double while all three runners came home: Lassiter, Daniel and redshirt sophomore first base Tori Edwards.
Defensive errors in the middle of the game allowed Nevada to get on base as pitches slipped by senior pitcher Paytn Monticelli, but the Tigers remained poised no matter the tough situation. The defense battled to get out of each inning peacefully, itching to display their offensive power soon after.
Redshirt sophomore outfield Char Lorenz broke the quietness of the bats in the sixth inning when she clobbered a two-run homer to knock in junior shortstop Kylee Edwards, advancing the Tigers’ lead to 5-2. An RBI by Daniel knocked in one more run as senior third base Avery Hodge safely slid across home.
The top of the seventh was a quick 1-2-3 inning for Monticelli to get her first win as a Tiger and end with five strikeouts. A quick series of Nevada groundouts to third base, shortstop and third once more wrapped up a 6-2 LSU victory.
Later that night, the Tigers faced NC State one last time in the weekend classic as the Wolfpack sought to even the series.
The game began differently this time around. The Wolfpack scored first with junior right-hander Cece Cellura starting on the diamond for LSU. When an obstruction call that took a lengthy review occurred in the top of the first, NC State earned the first two runs of the game.
The Wolfpack then earned another run in the third after Cellura gave up a double, prompting her time pitching to come to an end with seven hits allowed and only one strikeout through three innings. Cellura was replaced by senior Tatum Clopton to finish out the inning.
The pressure now fell on Clopton, who gave up an RBI single on her second pitch to allow a 4-0 NC State advantage. Moments later, a sacrifice fly gave the Wolfpack a 5-0 lead. Despite the pressure, Clopton got a final strikeout to end the inning and give the Tigers a chance to recover.
An RBI single to center by Kylee Edwards got the Tigers on the board with their first run of the game to start that recovery. Two innings later in the fifth, Hutchins hit a bomb to left, adding another run for the Tigers to cut their deficit 5-2.
With the bottom of the seventh, everyone in Tiger Park was on their feet cheering for a comeback. Tori Edwards slammed a triple in the leadoff spot, followed by a Hutchins walk. A wild pitch sent Edwards home and moved Hutchins to second. A Franklin double to left two batters later sent Hutchins home, putting the game in arm’s reach with a one-run deficit.
Tiger Park just continued to get louder. Another wild pitch from NC State allowed sophomore outfielder Destiny Harris, who was pinch-running for Lorenz, to run in from third and tie the game.
With two outs left in the seventh, the next player could be the decider — and Lassiter made sure of it. With a monstrous swing, Lassiter shot a homerun out to left for a walk-off that handed LSU a 7-5 victory.
That made two different Wolfpacks faced in three games, three wins for LSU softball.
At 3-0, LSU will continue the last stretch of games Saturday and Sunday as it attempts to keep its season-opening win streak alive. The Tigers face Nevada one more time before wrapping up the weekend against Illinois and Lamar.
