The No. 5 LSU softball team, now winners of 15 straight matches, didn’t have much trouble with its opponents in the LSU Invitational this weekend.
Although LSU coach Beth Torina refuses to compare her 2016 squad to last year’s team, which started the season 25-0, the Tigers continue to find ways to win. 
“It’s a completely different dynamic this year,” Torina said. “Our personnel this year is so deep. We’re getting closer to
understanding who we are.”
The Tigers won four of their five games by mercy-rule, outscoring teams 58-8.
LSU tied a program record for runs scored, demolishing Memphis (6-14) 17-2.
A pair of four inning outbursts helped drive the Tigers to a win. 
“Hitting is contagious,” said junior third baseman Sahvanna Jaquish. “A lot of us have the ‘pass the bat’ mentality on our team.”
The Tigers got a special performance from a freshman in their next matchup against Tennessee Tech (5-13).
LSU beat Tennessee Tech 8-0, in five innings, behind a perfect game from freshman pitcher Sydney Smith (4-0). 
Smith’s perfect game was just the fourth in program history.
“I honestly didn’t know until the end [of the game],” Smith said. “I was just really focusing on hitting my spots and just knowing that my team had my back.”
While offense combined to score 25 runs in both games on Friday, sophomore pitcher Carley Hoover stole the show Saturday and Sunday.
The Clemson, South Carolina native (8-0) started and pitched in three games this weekend. Hoover earned wins in all three of her appearances, in 13 and 2/3 innings of work, only giving up two hits and striking out 26 of the 49 batters she faced.
On Saturday, the Tigers faced Liberty and in-state rivalLouisiana Tech.
Hoover dominated from the start against Liberty (8-11),
retiring the side and throwing two strikeouts. She finished the game allowing one hit and notching 10 strikeouts. 
“[Hoover is] such a big competitor,” said senior catcher Kellsi Kloss. “Overall, [this was] probably the best performance I’ve seen this season so far.”
Two solo home runs from Jaquish helped propel the Tigers’ offense to a 8-0 victory against the Lady Flames.
Although Louisiana Tech came into Tiger Park with an upset in mind, the Tigers took care a business with a  9-6 win on    Saturday. 
The Lady Techsters (15-5) lit up Smith for five hits and three runs in three innings of work, putting the Tigers in a 6-2 hole. 
Facing its biggest deficit of the season, Torina tried to stop the bleeding by replacing Smith for junior pitcher Baylee Corbello.
But Corbello (4-0) didn’t fare much better.  
She came in and threw one third of an inning, allowing three runs with two of them being earned.
Corbello’s ineffectiveness forced Torina to call on her ace.
Hoover replaced Corbello in the top of the fourth and fanned the next two batters to end the frame.
The pitching change helped rally the Tigers’ offense. After scoring two runs in the bottom of the fifth, LSU took a 9-6 lead in the sixth inning, behind Kloss’ two-out, three-RBI double.
Hoover keep the Lady
Techstersat bay, allowing one hit and striking out nine.
“I think they have confidence in the whole pitching staff,” Torinasaid. “I think they feel differently with her on the mound. It shows that we mean
business.”
The Tigers dominated their last matchup of the tournament against Tennessee Tech (5-13), blanking the Golden Eagles,
16-0.
LSU again received a strong pitching performance from Hoover, who pitched a no-hitter, fanning seven batters.
The Tigers’ lineup exploded for 10 runs in the first inning, sparked by senior shortstop      Bianka Bell, who finished the day 2-for-2 at the plate with two RBIs. LSU cruised for another victory.
LSU will play a doubleheader against Longwood Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. before heading into a top-five matchup against rival No. 4 Alabama.
“Now is when the marathon starts in the season,” Hoover said. “We still have Longwood to face on Tuesday, so that’s our next focus right now.” 
You can reach Josh Thornton on Twitter @JoshT_TDR