After an unblemished 4-0 weekend throughout the Purple and Gold Challenge, the No. 5 LSU softball team has a quick turnaround as they face the University of Louisiana-Monroeon Tuesday at Tiger Park.
LSU (13-2) puts their eight-game win streak on the line as the Warhawks (11-4) come into Baton Rouge at 6 p.m. Tuesday looking to pull off the upset.
The contest will feature two equally explosive offenses. LSU averages 7.4 runs per game, while ULM records nearly 8.1 per contest. The visitors will not be a pushover, LSU coach Beth Torina said.
“They give us a challenge every time they come here,” Torina said. “We’ll show them our best lineup, and hopefully we can find a way to win.”
Both teams are quite familiar with college softball’s mercy rule. The Warhawks have run-ruled three teams, including a 23-0 dismantling of Grambling. LSU has secured seven such victories.
If the potential shootout keeps the game close, defensive errors may prove costly for the home team. LSU has already committed 19 errors this season, yielding a .950 fielding percentage.
The fielding woes is a trend Torina wants to stop as soon as possible.
“If I had the answer, I would have already fixed it,” she said. “At this point, it’s become a mentality issue that we need to work on. It’s something plaguing us right now that we have to figure out.”
Teams typically commit a number of errors early in the season with changes to the lineup, freshman getting playing time or just sloppy play. But what is concerning is that a majority of the Tigers’ errors are from seasoned veterans.
Junior infielder Constance Quinn has a team-high four errors, while fellow junior infielder Sahvanna Jaquish, senior first baseman Sandra Simmons and senior shortstop Bianka Bell each have three errors.
Errors have already cost the team one game this season. When LSU fell 2-1 to Pacific for its first loss on Feb. 13, both runs allowed were unearned.
Jaquish said the team is working on the issues and are making adjustments to correct the mistakes. Fellow junior outfielder Bailey Landry echoed her teammate’s sentiments.
“We need to work together as a team,” Landry said. “ULM is no one to look past. They are a good in-state school. [We] just need to go out and play LSU softball.
A season ago, the Tigers defeated ULM, 7-3, but not before the Warhawks nearly rallied back.
The visitors loaded the bases in the seventh and had the tying run at the plate. The LSU defense held on for the win.
“They always bring a scrappy team,” Torina said. “We’re going to be prepared for them. We’ll put the time in here [to get ready].”