With the wind blowing in from the outfield of Tiger Park, offense was hard to come by early in Friday night’s game between the LSU softball team and South Carolina.

It took three and a half innings for either team to find home plate, but it was the No. 13 Tigers who struck first — and last — on the night.

A two-run shot in the fourth inning by sophomore Rikki Alcaraz finally sparked the LSU bats who, at that point, were only able to put a runner on base once all night.

“I know the first time I didn’t really have a good at bat,” Alcaraz said. “but the second time I knew I had to make an adjustment for the pitcher and I just knew that I made that adjustment clear to everybody.”

LSU followed up its fourth inning scores with a three-hit, two-run fifth inning that put the game firmly in the Tigers control.

Junior Jacee Blades hit a single to shallow center putting two of her teammates across home plate.

Senior pitcher Rachele Fico managed to pitch her eighth shutout of the season for LSU, allowing only three hits all night and striking out another seven batters.

I just take [Fico] for granted,” said LSU coach Beth Torina. “I named the players of the game and I named Rikki and Jacee and just assumed Rachele did her job. But she did fantastic.”

The Tigers will continue their weekend series with the Gamecocks tomorrow at 3 p.m.