LSU softball swept Kentucky in its first SEC matchup of the season.

The Tigers won the series with scores of 6-2, 4-3 and 8-3 respectively.

Head coach Beth Torina’s motto of “you need two out of three to win a game,” proved to be true this weekend.

Out of pitching, defense and offense, the Tigers relied on their pitching and offense to remain the only undefeated team in the nation.

Here are three takeaways from their matchup against the Wildcats:

LSU has one of the best pitching staffs in the country.

The Sydney Berzon, Kelley Lynch and Raelin Chaffin trio proved to be one of, if not the most formidable pitching staffs in the country.

Berzon continued to be the backbone of the Tigers’ defense, as she opened and closed the series.

She pitched in game one of the series, recording five strikeouts and only allowing two runs. Berzon ended the game with three walks and two extra base hits. 

In the final game against Kentucky, Chaffin was pulled after 3.2 innings. Who else but Berzon would come in to save the day for the Tigers?

After Kentuky tied the game with two runs, Berzon ended the inning four pitches later. 

She finished the game with five hits, four strikeouts and no walks.

In game two, Lynch continued to look more comfortable both in the circle and at the plate. She finished with an equally impressive resume, throwing 121 pitches, 72 being strikes. 

Her infamous riseball continued to be a staple, as it led her to a season-high eight strikeouts. 

When Lynch was pulled in the sixth inning, Chaffin came in as a reliever.

Chaffin closed out the game with only 17 pitches. She started again on Sunday, adding another four strikeouts to her stat list.

LSU’s inexperienced infield is its biggest weakness.

With Danieca Coffey out with a torn ACL and Karli Petty with an injured wrist, the Tigers had no other option than to look towards freshmen to fill the holes.

Maddox McKee took Coffey’s spot at third and Sierra Daniel filled in for Petty. Although the freshmen looked promising in LSU’s previous series, as the Tigers play more difficult teams, McKee and Daniel’s inexperience have become more obvious.

The Tigers got through the first game free of errors, but that was the extent of their defensive perfection.

In the second game of the series, LSU got itself in a pickle.

After scoring a clutch run in the top of the sixth to take the lead, the Wildcats answered with a run of their own.

Lynch was pitching a great game, but her defense wasn’t able to produce outs.

McKee made her first error of the series on a throwing error off of a bunt, allowing Kentucky’s runner at first to score. 

McKee had a chance to redeem herself two plays later, but first baseman Raeleen Gutierrez made an error of her own. On a ground ball hit to third, Gutierrez’s foot struggled to find first base, allowing another Wildcat on base.

Lynch was pulled, and Chaffin came in to close the inning.

Daniel had two mishaps at second as well, but neither were recorded as errors. 

In Saturday’s game, Daniel stumbled a bit at second and was late to first on a bunt. She made another mistake on Sunday. In the second inning, Daniel bobbled a hard-hit ball at second, allowing Kentucky’s runners to advance to second and third. 

Although it didn’t result in a run from the Wildcats, it placed unnecessary pressure on LSU’s pitchers and defense.

Once Petty was back on the field on Sunday, Daniel moved to third for the remainder of the game.

LSU plays to the level of its opponents.

Although this isn’t a new aspect to the Tigers’ team, it became especially apparent this weekend against the Wildcats.

Kentucky’s defense is known for its inconsistency. Just this weekend, the Wildcats recorded eight errors, almost doubling their season’s 13 so far.

Instead of LSU playing to its usual high standard of defense, they lowered the bar, and even the most experienced players made mistakes.

Perfection isn’t expected, but as LSU’s schedule becomes more difficult, the careless mistakes won’t be tolerated. 

Despite the Tigers’ mediocre defensive performance, their bats didn’t skip a beat. The Tigers were “gritty” and chipped away at Kentucky’s pitchers, Torina said.

Ali Newland once again proved to be a critical aspect of the Tigers’ lineup. Newland went 6-14 through the weekend, including a clutch RBI in the final game of the series to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead. 

In the series, LSU scored nine two-out RBIs, a testament to their lineup.

Although Kentucky is always a difficult opponent for LSU, the Tigers hardest matchup of the season is waiting for them back in Baton Rouge.

LSU has its first home SEC matchup against No. 1 Texas in Tiger Park on Tuesday, March 12 at 11 a.m.