LSU coach Yvette Girouard said her team did “exactly what we wanted to do” this weekend in the LSU Collegiate Classic.The Tigers won all of their scrimmages in the tournament, winning six games in three days at Tiger Park with 11 new players.”I think the future looks really bright for the Tigers with all these young players that are going to be really, really good players,” Girouard said.LSU began the weekend with a doubleheader sweep of Nicholls State on Friday with 3-1 and 9-2 victories.Junior Cody Trahan and sophomore Casey Faile split time pitching for the Tigers in the first game, surrendering five hits and striking out 12 batters.Freshmen Brittany Mack and Kirsten Shortridge pitched the second game.Mack gave up two runs on one hit in four innings. Shortridge, who also hit a three-run home run in the game, struck out five in three innings against the Colonels.The Tigers beat Louisiana College and LSU-Alexandria, 4-0 and 11-3, on Saturday.Trahan and Shortridge were strong in the circle against Louisiana College, allowing only one hit in seven innings with 13 strikeouts combined.LSU’s offense exploded against LSU-Alexandria, leading 7-0 after three innings and 10-0 after five. Freshman Ashley Langoni had three RBIs in the game.The Tigers closed out the weekend by beating Chipola College, 2-1, and UL-Monroe, 4-1.Mack was nearly perfect against Chipola, striking out seven in three innings with one hit allowed.”I kind of predicted that she wasn’t going to throw well the first day,” Girouard said. “She thought she wasn’t nervous, but she was … sometimes it’s just a matter of getting those jitters out.”Each game had a 1-hour, 40-minute time limit. Games that reached the limit were stopped regardless of the inning.The teams used a 14-player lineup, and players were allowed to return to the field after being replaced.”It was hard to get continuity,” Girouard said. “The starting nine might have gotten two        at-bats or maybe one in a game.”Girouard used a variety of defensive lineups on the weekend, rotating outfielders and      infielders at each position.Junior Rachel Mitchell played all three outfield spots, and Langoni played first, second and third base.Sophomore Jessica Mouse, LSU’s regular third baseman last season, spent time at catcher against Chipola.”We checked our egos in at the door and experimented with a lot of things,” Girouard said.Assistant coach Megan Smith was hit in the left knee by a softball on an overthrow by a UL-Monroe player.Smith was carried by LSU trainers for several feet but quickly returned to her position as first base coach.”We almost had a casualty on the coaching staff, but she’s fine,” Girouard said.LSU plays a nine-inning game Wednesday at 5 p.m. against Southeastern Louisiana in Tiger Park.—-Contact Robert Stewart at [email protected]