No. 7 LSU recorded two wins over nationally ranked teams at Tiger Park Saturday on day two of the Purple & Gold Challenge.
LSU (9-0) run-ruled No. 21/22 Northwestern (4-5), 8-0 in five innings in its first game of the day and defeated No. 17/18 Virginia Tech (8-1), 7-2, to conclude the day.
“Many of the things we have worked on are paying off. It’s always really fun to see that,” said Head Coach Beth Torina. “I feel like how we are running the bases and being aggressive is stifling. At times, other teams feel that pressure and create mistakes that may be out of character for them. It’s fun to see our team play like that.”
The Tigers’ pitching staff ended the day with a 1.17 ERA behind 12 strikeouts and held opposing batters to a .167 batting average. As a unit, the staff gave up seven hits, four walks and two runs in 12.0 innings.
Pitchers Sydney Berzon and Jayden Heavener threw complete games and improved to 3-0 in the circle. Berzon logged her second complete game shutout of the season and the ninth of her career in game one against Northwestern, and Heavener earned her first career victory over a top-25 team.
LSU’s bats continued to stay hot, producing 15 runs on 23 hits, 11 RBI, and a .469 batting average. The Tigers also had five extra-base hits on the day, including three doubles, a triple and a home run.
Outfielder Jadyn Laneaux led the team with a 4-for-4 performance and had two RBI. Catcher Maci Bergeron also batted 1.000, going 3-for-3 at the plate, highlighted by a two-run home run, had three RBI, and drew four walks on the day. Utility player Tori Edwards and outfielders Jalia Lassiter and McKenzie Redoutey all batted .500 with 3-for-6 days. Lassiter scored a team-high three runs, and Redoutey matched Bergeron’s three RBI.
Game One
Berzon (3-0) opened her two-hit shutout by striking out five batters and gave up just one hit and one walk in the first three frames against Northwestern. She finished with seven strikeouts and surrendered two walks in her second shutout of the season.
NU’s Lauren Boyd (1-2) received the loss after giving up six runs on six hits and had one strikeout in 1.1 innings.
LSU matched a season-high 12 hits for the second consecutive game, led by Edwards, infielder Avery Hodge (2-for-2), and Lassiter, who all had two hits. Redoutey led the way with three RBI.
Redoutey picked up where she left off on day one, cashing in on a two-run double in the opening inning to put the Tigers on the board. In the second, LSU scored four runs on five hits, highlighted by RBI singles from infielder Danieca Coffey and Edwards. Bergeron walked in a run, and Redoutey’s sac fly made the score 6-0 through two innings.
In the third, with Laneaux on second after hitting a double, infielder Avery Hodge (2-for-2) laid down a bunt for a base hit and advanced to an unoccupied second base. As Hodge sprinted to take the base, a NU miscommunication placed the ball deep in center field, and both Laneaux and Hodge touched home plate to make the score 8-0.
LSU’s defense allowed just two base runners for the final two innings, and Berzon struck out two more batters to secure the club’s sixth shutout this season.
Game Two
Heavener (3-0) shut out Virginia Tech for the first five innings and finished the game with five strikeouts, giving up five hits, two runs and two walks in 7.0 innings.
VT’s Emma Mazzarone (2-1) relinquished eight hits, five runs (four unearned), two walks, and one strikeout in 3.0 innings.
Virginia Tech, who did not give up a run in its first eight games of the season, gave up seven runs and 11 hits in the 7-2 setback versus LSU. Laneaux was 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBI, and Bergeron registered another multi-hit and RBI game with two hits and ribbies.
LSU loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning thanks to singles by Coffey and Bergeron and a hit-by-pitch for Lassiter, but it was Coffey who came home on a throwing error by VT’s center fielder.
The Tigers pieced together a two-out rally in the second inning, scoring four runs on four hits to stretch their lead to 5-0. Lassiter laced a pitch to right field to score a runner, Coffey scored on a wild pitch, and with Lassiter sitting on third, Bergeron hit her second home run of the season to cap a four-run inning for the home club.
The Fighting Tigers loaded the bases with no outs for the second time in the fourth inning. However, it wasn’t until the Tigers had two outs when Laneaux singled to center field to score two runners, extending LSU’s lead to 7-0.
After a scoreless fifth inning, Virginia Tech scored two runs to cut the deficit to five runs in the sixth, but that was all that LSU gave up as the Tigers closed the game in the seventh with a flyout to right field and an unassisted double play by Edwards.
Up Next
No. 7 LSU will conclude the Purple & Gold Challenge with an 11:30 a.m. CT rematch against No. 17/18 Virginia Tech on Sunday.
Be the first to comment