The No. 5 LSU softball team continues its non-conference slate this weekend in the ninth annual Purple & Gold Challenge held in Tiger Park.
The Tigers (9-2) went undefeated in the tournament last season and will look to keep their current five-game win-streak alive.
LSU will first face Illinois State at 6 p.m. today and will battle the Redbirds again at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Contrary to the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic when the Tigers faced three ranked opponents, LSU will play two unranked opponents this weekend. Regardless of their opponents national standing, the Tigers aren’t in the habit of overlooking anyone they play.
“We have to be ready for whoever we play,” said senior catcher Kellsi Kloss. “We’re not going to get any easy teams … we have to work for everything we get this season.”
LSU’s pitching staff will be tested again this weekend. The Redbirds (3-7) are 25th in the nation in average home runs per game. Junior catcher Jordan de los Reyes and freshman outfielder Riley Hale have combined for seven of Illinois State’s 12 total home runs this season.
The Tigers’ offense has been on a tear during its winning streak and will challenge an Illinois State pitching staff that has struggled in its past five games. The Redbirds have allowed 46 runs in that time and have given up 59 hits.
During their past five games, the Tigers outscored their opponents 42-19 and average 8.4 runs a contest.
Junior second baseman Constance Quinn has been an integral part of the offensive success. During the streak, Quinn has gone 7-for-13, hitting four RBIs and scoring five runs.
“Honestly, trusting in the process is something that I’ve been stubborn with,” Quinn said. “Knowing what [the coaches] are doing in practice is going to help me in the long run.”
While the offense has been a highlight for LSU in the last five games, there have been a few struggles on the defensive end.
Although they have a .953 fielding percentage, the Tigers have struggled errors. Through 11 games this season, LSU has committed 13 errors, with four coming in its two losses.
If the Tigers want to keep their win-streak alive, they will need to clean up their sloppy fielding. LSU coach Beth Torina is happy with her team’s play so far but would like to see more improvement.
“I’d like to see us not allow so many infield singles and infield hits,” Torina said. “We’re capable of better than what we’re doing, and we just all need to get on the same page.”
LSU’s second opponent, Texas Tech , will face the Tigers on Saturday at 5 p.m. and again on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Unlike Illinois State, the Red Raiders received votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. The Red Raiders (4-6) come into the meeting against the Tigers having lost four of the last five games.
The Tigers could take advantage of the Red Raiders’ pitching staff. Texas Tech hurlers have a 6.32 combined ERA and have given up 86 hits this season.
Red Raiders’ junior pitcher Dominique Alcocer has the highest ERA on the team with 10.80 and has allowed 42 hits this season. Alcocer (1-4) has gotten the nod in the circle five of the ten games for Texas Tech this season and will likely start a game this weekend.
While LSU will be focused on finishing the weekend unblemished, working on their weaknesses now will also be a priority before heading into SEC play in two weeks.
“Coming out with victories in all of them,” said senior shortstop Bianka Bell. “Just trying to get better on our weaknesses, especially coming into SEC [play].”