FULLERTON, Calif. – No. 5/6 LSU delivered a pair of shutouts Friday at Anderson Family Field, blanking Utah 2-0 and Notre Dame 10-0 in five innings.
LSU climbed to 17-1 on the season, while Utah fell to 4-13 and Notre Dame dropped to 9-9.
Pitchers Sydney Berzon and Jayden Heavener combined for 18 strikeouts while limiting opponents to a .122 batting average. The duo pitched complete games over 12 innings, surrendering five hits and three walks without allowing a run.
At the plate, LSU went 14-for-47 (.298) with two home runs and 11 RBI. Outfielder Jadyn Laneaux led the offense with four hits and a .571 average, marking her third straight game with multiple hits. Utility player Tori Edwards registered three hits, including her fifth home run of the season, and posted a .429 average.
Game One
After a challenging outing in the Judi Garman Classic, Heavener (4-1) rebounded, striking out 11 to notch her second shutout in the 2-0 victory over Utah. In her fourth complete game, she allowed just three hits and walked three batters.
Utah’s Hailey Maestretti (1-3) took the loss despite turning in a solid performance, striking out once while being hit five times and issuing two walks. Laneaux accounted for two of LSU’s five hits, while outfielder McKenzie Redoutey added a hit and an RBI. Infielders Sierra Daniel and Edwards also logged hits.
Heavener set the tone early by striking out the first two batters she faced and retiring 12 of 15 batters through five innings. In the sixth inning, Edwards doubled to left field on the first pitch, advancing a runner on a fielding error. Redoutey followed with a double that scored Edwards. Moments later, Daniel’s two-out single allowed Redoutey to score from second following a throwing error, putting LSU ahead 2-0. Heavener closed out the top of the seventh by retiring the side with three strikeouts.
Game Two
Berzon (7-0) tossed her third shutout of the season in the 10-0 win over Notre Dame, striking out seven and yielding only two hits in five innings. Notre Dame’s Alexis Laudenslager (0-4) was charged with the loss after giving up five runs on two hits while walking three batters without recording an out. Brianne Weiss later pitched five innings for the Irish, striking out six while allowing four hits, four walks and two runs.
Edwards went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and scored twice, while Laneaux added two hits and an RBI. Designated player McKaela Walker matched her career-high with three RBI after hitting her second career home run.
LSU exploded in the first inning, scoring eight runs on six hits, including Walker’s three-run shot that gave the Tigers an 8-0 lead. All eight runs were scored with no outs, forcing two pitching changes. Notre Dame held LSU scoreless for the next three innings before Berzon and LSU’s defense stifled any further scoring. In the fifth, pinch hitter Madilyn Giglio reached base on a walk, and two batters later Edwards launched a homer over the left-center field wall to extend the lead. Berzon struck out two more as the Irish were retired in order to end the inning.
Up Next
LSU will conclude its weekend slate with an 11 a.m. CT game against Weber State.
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