From the teal jerseys to the teal Eye of the Tiger painted in centerfield, something was different in Tiger Park as the No. 3 LSU softball team notched a 6-1 win against No. 24 Texas A&M on Saturday night.
The Tigers (40-5, 12-4 Southeastern Conference) celebrated their annual ‘Strikeout Ovarian Cancer’ game by inviting ovarian cancer survivors on the field during the pregame after hosting the third annual ‘Geaux Teal Ovarian Cancer Walk’ on Saturday morning.
“Our team really enjoys this day,” said LSU coach Beth Torina. “It’s truly a life-changing day. It truly makes you appreciate so many things. It’s so great to honor these women who inspire us to be better and just continue to fight.”
With the win, LSU moves to 4-0 in the teal jerseys since 2012 and 29-0 at home this season.
LSU’s lineup got on the board early with aggressive base running and ran away from the Aggies (33-13, 8-8 SEC) with two multiple-run innings. In the circle, freshman pitcher Carley Hoover (12-2) held the Aggies offense to one run despite allowing five hits.
In the bottom of the first inning, center fielder A.J. Andrews singled, and sophomore right fielder Bailey Landry reached on a bunt single to lead off the Tigers.
Andrews got the Tigers on the board when she stole third and scored on a throwing error by the Aggies’ catcher.
“It’s always fun to do stuff that teams don’t expect you to do,” Andrews said. “It sets the tone for the rest of the inning because they’re on their toes now, not knowing what’s going to happen next.”
Junior designated player Alayna Falcon and freshman left fielder Emily Griggs extended the Tigers’ lead with an RBI single apiece in the fourth.
In the fifth inning, Texas A&M scored its lone run when sophomore catcher Celena Massey drove in a run with an RBI single to center field.
The Tigers responded by scoring two runs on four hits in the bottom of the same frame, including a historic sacrifice fly by sophomore third baseman Sahvanna Jaquish.
Jaquish drove in Landry with her seventh sacrifice fly of season, which ties Andrews for the single-season program record. Jaquish’s 63rd RBI of the season also ties the LSU single-season record.
Junior catcher Kellsi Kloss drove in the second run of the inning with a RBI single to center for her 32nd RBI of the season. Andrews capped the Tigers’ scoring by scoring on a wild pitch by Aggies’ senior pitcher Lauren Ainsley in the bottom of the sixth.
While LSU’s lineup rolled at the plate, Hoover said she fought through her eighth complete game of the season despite not having her best pitches.
Although she struck out six batters, Hoover relied on her defense to make plays as she struggled with four walks on the night. In the top of the seventh alone, Andrews recorded every out with either a fly out or line out to center field.
Despite her struggles, Hoover was touched by the opportunity to represent LSU in the circle in the teal game. The Tigers continue their series against Texas A&M with Game 2 at 6 p.m. Sunday in Tiger Park.
“Honestly, it’s such an honor that I’m even pitching tonight,” Hoover said. “The fact that I get to wear the jersey on the field and that [Torina] trusts me in game that means so much to her, I’m just really honored to be out there tonight…It was just a really, really cool day to see everyone and meet people and to hear their stories. I don’t really cry, but I was really trying not to cry all day.”
You can reach Morgan Prewitt on Twitter @kmprewitt_TDR