No. 5 LSU defeated ULM 7-4 on Tuesday night at Tiger Park. Outfielders Ali Newland and McKenzie Redoutey each homered in the win.
LSU improved to 30-4 overall and 22-0 in non-conference games. ULM falls to 22-15 on the year.
“Softball in Louisiana is really good,” Head coach Beth Torina said. “We’ve got a lot of teams here in the top 100 RPI and the top 50 RPI. They’re going to come out and give you a ball game. There are a lot of really good programs in our state, and I think that’s a good thing to see for softball.”
Pitcher Raelin Chaffin (9-2) earned the win. Chaffin dealt five punch-outs while allowing a run on four hits and one walk in 5.1 innings of relief.
“Raelin [Chaffin] has good relief numbers for us this year,” Torina said. “She’s thrown some great games. She’s had a couple of bumps in the road the last couple of outings; in a couple of them, she had some tough luck, in my opinion. I thought she pitched well at Missouri and didn’t get much to show for it. The team noticed that, too, after the game. I think she was one pitch from getting out of five straight innings. I think she’s been doing a good job.”
ULM pitcher Victoria Abrams (9-7) is charged with the loss. The Warhawk hurler allowed five runs on five hits, a walk, and a strikeout in 2.0 innings.
LSU got it done at the plate, beginning with Redoutey, who had two hits, two runs, and a season-high three RBIs off her fourth home run of the season. Newland also had two hits, highlighted by her leadoff homer in the first inning — LSU’s second leadoff dinger of the season. Outfielder Ciara Briggs also registered two base knocks and scored two runs while setting a new season-best with two stolen bases.
After ULM plated two runs in the top of the first inning, LSU responded with two runs in the home half, ignited by Newland’s leadoff blast. In the second inning, the Warhawks knocked an RBI single to take a 3-2 lead, but the Tigers evened the score again thanks to third baseman Maddox McKee’s run-scoring single.
ULM struck again in the top of the third with an RBI single, but LSU answered by taking the lead behind a four-run inning, highlighted by Redoutey’s two-out, three-run shot to left field, giving the home team a 7-4 lead.
Dating back to the final batter of the fourth inning, Chaffin and the LSU defense retired ten straight batters before a hit was allowed in the seventh but did not relinquish a run.
No. 5 LSU will open the second half of its SEC schedule with a top 10 series against No. 10 Florida, April 6-8 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, Fla.
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