The LSU pitching and offense came up big in the team’s 8-0, 5 inning rout of Arizona of the first game of the Baton Rouge regional on Saturday.
This afternoon’s star was undoubtedly right fielder Bailey Landry who finished 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI to go along with some stellar play in the outfield, which included throwing out Mo Mercado at first place as she went back to tag up.
LSU’s offense got started early in the game as RBI base hits from Savannah Jaquish and Kelssi Kloss gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead before Arizona recorded an out. In the second the offense continued, Bianka Bell and Jaquish drew back-to-back walks and eventually scored off a Sandra Simmons single and wild pitch, respectively.
The third inning saw Landry hit a two run home run, bringing LSU’s run total to eight.
Part of the success offensively was due to an Arizona pitching staff that allowed more walks, eight, than LSU had hits, five.
In the circle, Carly Hoover came up huge with a complete game one hitter performance and lowered her ERA to 1.56 on the season. Hoover limited the potent offensive duo of Kellie Fox and Katiyana Mauga to a combined 0-4 on the afternoon.
It is a very good sign that the Tigers played a complete game against a good opponent since even the Regional performance was not spectacular. Much credit should be given to the LSU offense which was able to take advantage of many the walks surrendered by Arizona.
For Game two, the Tigers should feel confident about their odds considering the success of Carly Walljasper in the Regional. However, it would be unwise to under estimate the potent Arizona offense.
Game Two tomorrow at 4 PM.