Despite starting almost two hours behind schedule, the No. 7 LSU softball team took command in Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader against Northwestern State and never looked back, earning a 15-1 victory in five innings.
Not even the mercy rule could save the Lady Demons (9-11) from the monster that is LSU’s lineup, which scored a combined 12 runs in the first two innings. Freshman pitcher Carley Hoover’s two-hitter, complete-game performance complemented the power and speed of the Tigers’ lineup, extending the best start in program history to 20-straight wins.
“They continued to have good at-bats,” said LSU coach Beth Torina. “They really had a great offensive performance all day long, from top to bottom. They swung the bats really well and were really impressive.”
The Tigers took an early lead in the bottom of the first, scoring three runs on three hits.
After senior center fielder A.J. Andrews singled and sophomore right fielder Bailey Landry walked, junior shortstop Bianka Bell put LSU on the board with an RBI single to center field.
Sophomore third baseman Sahvanna Jaquish drove in Landry to score the Tigers’ second run of the inning. Junior first baseman Sandra Simmons scored Bell on a sacrifice bunt, extending LSU’s lead to 3-0.
In the bottom of the second inning, LSU’s lineup exploded to score nine runs in a variety of ways by utilizing the Tigers’ speed and power.
After sophomore infielder Constance Quinn began the inning with a leadoff double and freshman outfielder Emily Griggs singled, Andrews drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to center field to extend LSU’s lead to 4-0.
In her fourth season as the Tigers’ leadoff hitter, Andrews has embraced the responsibility of being at the top of the Tigers’ lineup.
“I’m just doing my job,” Andrews said. “I’m just trying to get the team started basically because I’m the first batter. I can set the tone really well with my at-bats, so that’s really all I’m trying to do because everybody in the lineup can hit.”
After Andrews’ sacrifice fly, Bell drove in her 28th run of the season with a single down the left field line. Kloss doubled to left, driving in Landry and Bell with her seventh extra-base hit of the season.
Simmons and Quinn, in her second at-bat of the inning, hit RBI singles to extend LSU’s lead to 9-0 lead.
Andrews capped off the LSU’s dominant half-inning with a triple, which added three more runs and put the Tigers ahead 12-0.
“We really feed off each other,” Hoover said. “Whoever has the momentum, and in the past couple of games it’s been A.J. who’s started it, everyone afters follows suit. It’s really cool how we can be a team like that. It’s not just one person or two people, it’s really everybody passing the bat.”
Jaquish capped off the Tigers’ scoring with a 3-run homer in the bottom of the fourth, good for her ninth home run of the season.
Andrews drew a walk, and junior Dylan Supak singled to set the table for Jaquish, who on the second pitch of the at-bat powered home her sixth 3-run homer of the year.
“I don’t have to do too much because I know if I’m on base that [Bell and Jaquish] can get me around,” Andrews said. “They perform extremely well in pressure situations, as long as I get on, there is a way that we can score because they’ve got my back and they’re always chipping away at it.”
While the offense lit up the scoreboard, Hoover posted another stellar outing, allowing only two hits in five innings and notching eight strikeouts.
The Tigers’ 15 runs are the second most in the team has scored under Torina. The highest mark of 16 runs came against Mississippi Valley State in 2012.
LSU will finish the Purple & Gold Challenge against Stephen F. Austin at 11:30 a.m. Sunday in Tiger Park.