With her Tigers fresh off a series loss at Missouri last weekend, LSU softball coach Beth Torina said her players lost confidence in themselves.
But they didn’t show it Wednesday night.
The No. 6 LSU softball team (43-8, 13-7 Southeastern Conference) made quick work of Southeastern Louisiana (20-26) on Wednesday night at Tiger Park, mercy-ruling the Lions, 11-0, in the hour-and-thirteen-minute contest.
LSU went down without a hit in the first inning, but junior catcher Kellsi Kloss quickly changed that in the second when she blasted a solo home run to left center field. The rest of the lineup only mustered two hits the first time through the order, but when the Tigers got back to the top of the order, they took off.
“The second time around we were just so much better,” Kloss said. “And that’s really it. Once things get rolling for us, the hits come in bunches and the runs come in bunches.”
In both the third and fourth innings, LSU put up five runs on eleven hits on the way to its 18th run-rule victory of the year. The Tigers’ three-through-six-hole hitters tallied six RBIs, but it was an unlikely source in the seventh spot who led the way.
Making only her seventh start of the year, senior designated player Kailey McCasland drove in three runs on two hits, including a two-run double in the fourth inning. She said even though she doesn’t get to start often, she’s always prepared for her chance.
“When I get my opportunity, it’s what I do with it, and I did well tonight,” McCasland said. “…I’m proud of myself because I’ve been working hard.”
But the Tigers weren’t only dominant with the bats.
In the circle, freshman pitcher Allie Walljasper was looking to rebound from her worst performance of the year, in which she allowed seven runs in only 2.1 innings against Missouri on April 26.
She was dominant Wednesday, holding Southeastern to two hits as she improved her record to 13-3. Kloss called Walljasper’s command the key to her improvement from the weekend.
Walljasper said she wanted to get back in her groove.
“I was trying to gain my confidence back from last weekend and come out here and throw quality pitches and hit my spots as best that I can and come out strong,” Walljasper said. “…I go pitch by pitch. I’m trying to throw each pitch with quality and just focus on where I’m pitching at and what needs to be done.”
The Tigers will need to be at their best this weekend when No. 8 Auburn comes to Baton Rouge for the final series of the regular season.
Torina said she’ll do everything to make sure LSU is ready for the top-10 showdown.
“We’ll stay with our routine for the most part,” Torina said. “Obviously we will start preparing for Auburn and see some of the things from film and really start preparing specifically for what they are going to throw at us and see what we can expect from them.”