Freshman left-handed pitcher Jayden Heavener delivered LSU’s first perfect game since 2020 and only the sixth in program history, striking out 13 batters in his collegiate debut. The standout performance came in the season opener against Charlotte at Tiger Park, setting the tone for a dominant start at the Tiger Classic.
In a six-inning contest that ended 8-0, the Tigers dispatched Charlotte, while Sydney Berzon followed with a two-hit shutout against Central Arkansas in a five-inning outing that saw LSU prevail 10-0. The victories improved LSU’s season-opening record to 25-4 since 1997 and extended their streak to 11 consecutive wins in opener games.
Game One
Heavener dominated in game one, striking out 13 Charlotte Miners in six innings while retiring the side three separate times. Six of her first seven strikeouts were swinging, and she finished the outing with 10 swinging strikeouts. Offensively, LSU recorded 10 hits. Coffey, Tori Edwards and Walker each notched two hits, and Coffey, McKee and Walker drove in two runs apiece.
In the opening frame, Coffey built on her late-season momentum with a leadoff single that extended her hitting streak to 11 games. An RBI single by Edwards brought Coffey home to score the game’s first run, and McKee’s sacrifice fly gave LSU an early 2-0 advantage over Charlotte. After two scoreless innings, a run-scoring double from Jalia Lassiter in the fourth plated Coffey. The offense exploded in the fifth, scoring three runs on back-to-back RBI singles by McKee and Walker and a sac fly from Coffey. LSU put the game away in the bottom of the sixth, with Walker’s RBI double down the left-field line and a walk from Coffey that scored a run, clinching an 8-0 season-opening victory.
Game Two
LSU’s bats continued to perform in game two, as the team logged 11 hits in a 10-0 win over Central Arkansas in five innings. McKee went 3-for-3 at the plate and scored three runs, while Sierra Daniel was 2-for-2 with two RBIs in her season debut.
After Berzon (1-0) recorded her first two strikeouts in the top of the second, LSU responded in the bottom half with three runs. Singles from McKee and Walker put runners in scoring position, and Avery Hodge’s two-RBI single to right field brought them home. Daniel added another single to move Hodge to third, and Coffey’s hit ended a five-game streak of singles, scoring Hodge to give LSU a 3-0 lead.
Berzon then retired Central Arkansas’ first 11 batters before giving up consecutive singles in the fourth inning. The offense came alive again in the bottom of the inning with seven runs, capped by a two-run home run from Bergeron, marking the team’s first homer of the season. LSU closed out the game by retiring the remaining batters, with Berzon earning her fifth strikeout to finish with 15 strikeouts over 17 batters faced.
Up Next
LSU is set for a doubleheader on Saturday against Charlotte and Central Arkansas, with games scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.
Heavener’s historic performance marked the program’s third perfect game under head coach Beth Torina and the first ever by an LSU pitcher in his debut at Tiger Park. Maribeth Gorsuch’s seven-inning perfect game against Belmont on Feb. 22, 2020, was the previous mark. “I was over at third base, and we were about to end the game. I thought to myself, what a storybook moment it was,” Torina said. “The theme this year is about writing a book, and I was just thinking about what a moment we have with this incredible player. She comes out – everybody has been waiting for this moment – and she throws a perfect game in her first time out here at Tiger Park. It was an incredible day for the team.”
Berzon added her eighth career shutout to the win slate with five strikeouts, keeping Central Arkansas’ hitters to a .118 average over five innings. On the offensive side, LSU batted .457 with 21 hits, 16 RBI and 18 runs. Danieca Coffey returned with a splash, hitting .750 (3-for-4) and posting team highs of three RBI and three runs. Maddox McKee snapped four hits (.667) at the plate, while McKaela Walker posted a .600 batting average on three hits and reached for three runs. Maci Bergeron capped a productive day with a season-opening home run, going 2-for-3 and drawing a team-best four walks.
“The offense did a great job,” Torina said. “Postgame, the coaches complimented them on their effective base-running. I think our speed played a factor, as we had hoped. The way they ran the bases set the tone for the season and who they want to be. Obviously, we had some big swings mixed in there as well.”
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