Da Boot Sports
2/26/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Keonte Herrera


   LAFAYETTE, La. – No. 14/15 LSU won a 4-1 decision against UL-Lafayette Sunday afternoon at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.

Pitcher Ali Kilponen collected her fourth win of the season and remains undefeated. She threw a complete game striking out four batters while allowing five hits, two walks and one run.

UL-Lafayette (9-6) pitcher Sam Landry (3-4) was credited with the loss where she tossed 3.1 innings and allowed two runs on two hits and one walk against 13 batters faced.

Shortstop Taylor Pleasants and catcher Maci Bergeron led the way offensively for LSU. Pleasants hit her seventh home run of the season in the top of the fourth, bringing home the first two runs for the Tigers. Bergeron had a career-high two RBIs, both of which came on a single in the sixth stanza which gave the Tigers two more insurance runs heading into the final inning. Third baseman Danieca Coffey led the team in hits going 2-for-4 on the night logging her eighth game this season with multiple hits.

Kilponen retired the first seven batters of the game before ULL was able to plate a run in the bottom of the third inning. The Tigers took little time to respond as Pleasants hit a two-run homer the next half inning to give the visiting team a 2-1 lead that they would not relinquish.

​ULL threatened with a runner on third in the bottom of the fourth, but Pleasants and Bergeron saved the tying run with a play at the plate to end the fourth frame.
 
The Tigers put runners on second and third with two outs in the sixth after outfielder McKenzie Redoutey wore a pitch and second baseman Karli Petty singled to right field. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch before Bergeron lined a single to left that brought both runners home increasing LSU’s lead, 4-1.
 
The Ragin’ Cajuns threated by loading the bases in the bottom of the seventh, but the Tigers were able to hold them off to secure the victory.
 
On Deck
 
LSU will travel to Fullerton, Calif. for the Judi Garman Classic March 3-5 apart of a 10-game stretch of games played away from Tiger Park.

Da Boot Sports
2/25/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Keonte Herrera


   BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 14/15 LSU split day two of the LSU/ULL Crossover Saturday at Tiger Park. After dropping their first game of the year in a 5-4 loss to UL-Lafayette, the Tigers rebounded with a 12-0 shutout win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
In the second game of the day, redshirt sophomore pitcher Emilee Casanova threw her first career shutout to earn her first career decision in the circle.
“I thought it was a great response to the first game,” said Head Coach Beth Torina. “I think they did a great job of coming out and scoring right off the bat and getting a good shutdown performance from Emilee Casanova.”
Outfielder Ciara Briggs and infielder Georgia Clark mirrored each other on day two of the LSU/ULL Crossover by going 3-for-5 at the plate with four RBIs, two runs scored and one home run. Briggs hit her first career grand slam against A&M-Corpus Christi (7-5) for her seventh career dinger, while Clark hit her 34th career home run against UL-Lafayette (8-5). Clark currently ranks sixth for the most career home runs in program history with 34 and is right behind shortstop Taylor Pleasants who has 35 career homers after hitting the Tigers’ third longball of the day.
 
Game One
 
Clark stayed led the offense with a 2-for-4 outing at the plate and hit her second home run in as many games. Pleasants and first baseman Raeleen Gutierrez both recorded a hit and RBI, and also drew one walk.
 
Pitcher Raelin Chaffin (2-1) was credited with the loss after throwing 2.0 innings, allowing two hits and four runs. Pitcher Sydney Berzon pitched 5.0 innings where she struck out two batters and allowed five hits, one run and walked two batters.
 
After the Tigers retired the Ragin’ Cajuns in order, third baseman Danieca Coffey led off the bottom half inning with a walk and advanced to second on a sac bunt. Pleasants drove a liner through the right field gap, bringing Coffey home for the opening run. Clark followed with an RBI single to left field to score Pleasants, giving the Tigers an early 2-0 advantage after the opening inning.
 
ULL responded with five unanswered runs in the second and third innings combined, highlighted by a pair of two-RBI homers in each frame to take a 5-2 lead.
 
Both teams went scoreless for two innings until Clark hit a leadoff homer in the sixth frame. Gutierrez kept the rally alive with a two-out RBI single through the middle, cutting into the Ragin’ Cajuns lead, 5-4.
 
Despite putting two runners on base in the seventh, the Tigers were unable to plate the tying run, resulting in a 5-4 loss.
 
Game Two
 
Casanova earned her first career win in game two versus the Islanders. Casanova tossed a two-hit complete game shutout that featured five strikeouts and gave up just two hits with no walks against the 17 batters she faced.
 
Briggs and Coffey each was 2-for-2 in the batter’s box and scored two runs to lead the Tigers offensively. Briggs set a new career high of four RBIs after hitting her first career grand slam, and Coffey added two ribbies of her own. Clark had her second multi-RBI game of the day as she drove in two runs on one hit and scored one run.
 
LSU got the night started with back-to-back singles from Coffey and Briggs in the bottom of the first. Both runners advanced on a fly out to center before Clark brought both home on a two-RBI single to give the home team a 2-0 lead.
 
The offense kept pouring on the runs in the second stanza. LSU loaded the bases behind a couple of singles and a walk before Briggs stepped to the plate and hit the Tigers first grand slam of the season. Pleasants back doored her with a solo shot in the next at bat, giving her six home runs on the season. LSU went to bust the inning open with three more runs and finished the inning with eight runs on five hits to build a 10-0 lead.
 
The Tigers scored two insurance runs in the fourth thanks to a two-RBI single by Coffey. Casanova continued to shine throughout the offensive surge as she retired eight consecutive batters and fanned four batters over the final 2.2 innings.
 
On Deck
 
The Tigers travel to Lafayette, La. Sunday to conclude the LSU/ULL Crossover at 2:30 p.m. against UL-Lafayette at Lamson Park.
 

Da Boot Sports
2/24/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Keonte Herrera


   ​BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 14/15 LSU's offensive explosion led to an 11-0 run-rule shutout against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Friday at Tiger Park. The offense scored at least one run in every inning while putting up their fourth game with 11 or more runs this season.
LSU (13-0) registered its fifth run-rule this season and improves to 4-0 all-time against A&M-Corpus Christi (7-3).
“I loved tonight. It checked a lot of boxes for us. Some things we needed to happen we were able to have happen. Got some people in we needed to get in and saw some good results from them.”
Pitcher Alea Johnson (3-0) earned the win after logging five strikeouts, three hits, one walk and no runs in 4.0 innings. Pitcher Emma Strood closed out the game by retiring three of the last four batters and tallied one strikeout. Johnson and Strood combined to toss the Tigers fifth shutout of the season.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi’s Primrose Aholelei was charged with the loss after 2.0 innings where she struck out one batter and gave up six hits, three runs, and one walk against 12 faced batters.
 
Infielder Georgia Clark highlighted the offensive explosion going 2-for-2 from the dish with three RBIs thanks to a three-run home run – her third of the season. Left fielder Savannah Stewart also had three-RBIs on the night coming off her first career home run in the bottom of the third.
 
“She slapped it out,” said Head Coach Beth Torina. “I’ve seen her hit some home runs in the recruiting process. She’s been seeing it well. She looks good and she’s such a competitor. That was awesome for her. I teared up, I really did. I felt so emotional about it, just thinking of what she means to us. It was a really cool moment.”
 
Third baseman Danieca Coffey had a perfect night at the plate, going 3-for-3, marking her second consecutive game with three hits this season. Shortstop Taylor Pleasants tallied her eighth game with multiple RBIs this season, totaling two RBIs and two runs scored.
 
The Tigers started the night with four straight hits. Coffey and Briggs had a pair of singles and stolen bases to bring up Pleasants with runners on second and third. Pleasants hit a bloop single to center field that scored both runners. Two batters later, second baseman Karli Petty hit a sac fly to deep center field to give LSU an early 3-0 lead at the end of the first inning.
 
After reaching on an error in the second stanza, Stewart made her way to third base before scoring the Tigers’ fourth run on a wild pitch. With runners on first and second, Clark hit her third dinger of the season to left field to increase LSU’s lead, 7-0.
 
The runs kept coming for the Tigers in the third frame as freshman outfielder Maia Townsend recorded her first career hit to lead off the inning. Freshman infielder McKaela Walker wore a pitch to put two runners on with one out. Stewart came to the plate and crushed her first career home run to left field, tacking on three additional runs.
 
Outfielder Madilyn Giglio recorded a leadoff single in the fourth inning for her first career hit. After getting in scoring position thanks to a wild pitch, Giglio showcased excellent base-running skills and scored on an RBI single by catcher Ali Newland to increase the lead, 11-0.
 
Strood closed out the game in the top of the fifth, retiring three of the four batters she faced beginning with her first career strikeout and secured the run-rule victory for LSU.
 
On Deck
 
The Tigers will be back in action with a double-header Saturday, February 25 facing off against UL-Lafayette at 2:30 p.m. and Texas A&M Corpus-Christi at 5 p.m.

Da Boot Sports
2/23/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Keonte Herrera


   MONROE, La. – No. 14/15 LSU pulled away with a 9-3 win against ULM Wednesday night at ULM Softball Complex.
The Tigers are now 12-0 on the season while the Warhawks fall to 7-6.
Pitcher Sydney Berzon (5-0) picked up the win in the circle after tallying five strikeouts and gave up two hits, and three walks but no runs in 5.1 innings. Pitcher Ali Kilponen got the for LSU and recorded two strikeouts, two hits, three walks and three runs in 1.2 innings pitched.
 
Third baseman Danieca Coffey led the Tigers offensively with three hits and two runs to go with three RBI’s which came off her first home run of the season. First baseman Georgia Clark had a season-high four RBIs in the ball game, three of which came on a three-run shot of her own.
 
Coffey led off the game with a single through the middle to give the Tigers the first base runner of the night. Two batters later shortstop Taylor Pleasants singled to center field, putting runners on the corners with Clark coming up to bat. Coffey beat out the throw home on a fielder’s choice to give the Tigers the first run of the night.
 
After a three-up-three down inning by ULM highlighted by two Kilponen strikeouts, left fielder Ali Newland drew a walk and catcher Maci Bergeron reached on a fielder’s choice to set Coffey up with runners on the first and third. Coffey came to the plate and blasted one over the right field wall, giving the Tigers a 4-0 advantage after two innings.
 
The Warhawks scored three runs in the bottom of the second, but the bats stayed hot for LSU in the top of the third. With runners on the corners again, Clark went yard to stretch LSU’s lead back to four runs, 7-3 through four frames. It was Clark’s 32nd career home run, moving her into a tie for sixth all-time on the LSU home run list.
 
After holding ULM scoreless in the sixth, second baseman Karli Petty hit a two-out single with the bases loaded that scored two insurance runs for the Tigers.
 
On Deck
 
Next up for LSU is the LSU/ULL Crossover Feb. 24-26 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UL-Lafayette.
 

Da Boot Sports
2/21/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Keonte Herrera


   RUSTON, La. – Sophomore McKenzie Redoutey hit a pair of solo shots to help No. 14/15 LSU defeat Louisiana Tech, 3-1, Tuesday night at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.
 
Redoutey finished 2-for-3 at the plate and recorded her seventh career multi-hit and multi-RBI game. By hitting her fourth and fifth caree home runs, Redoutey became the first Tiger with multiple homers in a single game this season and first since junior Taylor Pleasants did it last year against McNeese. Junior Ciara Briggs was also 2-for-3 at the dish, recording her 45th career multiple-hit game.
 
Sophomore pitcher Raelin Chaffin got the start Tuesday and threw four strikeouts and gave up two hits and three walks through 4.0 innings. Freshman Sydney Berzon entered the game in the bottom of the fifth and earned her fourth win of the season striking out three batters and gave up four hits, one walk and no runs in 2.2 innings. Graduate Ali Kilponen replaced Berzon with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and struck out the final batter of the night to be credited with the save. Kilponen has two saves this season and now ranks No. 4 all-time with seven career saves.
 
Junior Ciara Briggs had two hits on the night, putting her in a tie for 11th most in the nation this season. Freshman Maci Bergeron joined Redoutey in the RBI column, tallying one on an RBI-double in the top of the sixth.
 
After both clubs went scoreless in the first inning, Redoutey led off the inning with a solo shot straight to center field for her first home run of the season. The pitchers battled in the third and fourth inning without giving up a run, but the Lady Techsters tied the game in the fifth thanks to an RBI single from Brooke Diaz.
 
The Tigers responded in the top of the sixth when Redoutey crushed her second homer of the game – a two-out longball to right field. Junior Ali Newland singled to center field before freshman Maci Bergeron brought her home on an RBI-double to give the Tigers a 3-1 advantage.
 
LA Tech threatened with the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the sixth, but Pleasants made a play at the plate to save a run and Berzon struck out her third batter of the night to end the inning.  LSU could not cross another run in the seventh and after two quick outs in the bottom half inning, Berzon gave up a single and a walk before calling it a night. Kilponen replaced Berzon with one out left to get and secured the victory with a strikeout.
 
On Deck
 
LSU will finish its road trip with a 6 p.m. game tomorrow against ULM at the ULM Softball Complex in Monroe, La.
 

Da Boot Sports
2/19/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Keona Herrera


   BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 18 LSU collected its 10th win of the season in a 3-1 victory over Central Arkansas (7-2) Sunday afternoon at Tiger Park. The win marks the first time the program started the season 10-0 since 2018.
 
Freshman pitcher Sydney Berzon was credited with the win and moves to 3-0 on the season. Graduate pitcher Ali Kilponen earned her first save since 2022 and logged her sixth career save, moving her into a tie for sixth place all-time with Shelbi Sunseri.
 
In her second start of the season, Berzon finished with a season-high six strikeouts and gave up four hits, two walks and one run (unearned) in 4.1 innings. Kilponen entered the circle in the top of the fifth where she tossed a pair of strikeouts in 2.2 innings. Combined, the pitchers limited Central Arkansas to a .185 batting average and zero earned runs.
 
Outfielder Ciara Briggs paced the offense with three hits, one run and an RBI. Infielder Taylor Pleasants bounced back with a two-for-four day, rounding out the Tigers with multiple hits.
 
After a stalemate for three innings, Central Arkansas scored one run to take a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth.
 
Sophomore McKenzie Redoutey got the offense going in the bottom of the fourth with a double to left field. Junior Raeleen Guitierrez followed by drawing a walk and freshman Maci Bergeron was hit by a pitch that loaded the bases with one out. Two batters later, junior Danieca Coffey earned a free pass from the pitcher and registered an RBI to tie the game. With the bases still juiced, Briggs singled to the shortstop, bringing Gutierrez home for the go-ahead 2-1 lead.
 
Kilponen entered the circle with one out and two on base in the top of the fifth inning. She retired the first five batters she faced before Briggs scored an insurance run off a wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth. Kilponen went on to sit down three of the final four batters to complete the save in the 3-1 win.
 
On Deck
 
LSU will have two midweek road games as they take on Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La. Feb. 21, and ULM in Monroe, La. Feb. 22.
 

Da Boot Sports
​2/18/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Keonte Herrera


   BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 18 LSU’s pitching staff owned day two of the Tiger Classic after defeating Utah, 2-1 and shutting out Central Arkansas, 1-0 Saturday at Tiger Park.
 
LSU improves its record to 9-0 and now has four shutouts this season. The Tigers’ arms registered a 0.00 ERA behind 15 strikeouts in 14.0 innings. They also held opposing batters to a .180 batting average.
 
Graduate pitcher Ali Kilponen collected her third win of the season to break into the top ten in wins in program history, while sophomore pitcher Raelin Chaffin recorded her second win of the season. Freshman pitcher Sydney Berzon earned her third save of the season.
 
“I think we have shown we can win in a lot of different ways,” said Head Coach Beth Torina. “Today was the pitchers’ day so I’m glad that we showed up.”
 
In a day highlighted by pitching and defense, infielder Danieca Coffey was a bright spot offensively for LSU. She went 3-for-5 on the day, scoring the sole run against Central Arkansas (7-1). Infielder Karli Petty joined Coffey as the only Tigers with multiple hits, posting two hits on the night.
 
Outfielder McKenzie Redoutey led the team in RBIs with two, both coming on a two-RBI double that helped secure the win vs. Utah (6-3). Infielder Taylor Pleasants tacked on the only other RBI of the night, and made a game-saving play in the shutout win over UCA.
 
Game One
 
Chaffin started in the circle putting in 4.1 innings of work. She tallied four strikeouts and allowed one run and one walk before Berzon relieved her. Berzon logged three strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched and recorded her third save of the season.
 
Redoutey doubled to left center field that brought home two runs, proving to be the game-winning hit in the second inning. Petty went 2-for-3 from the dish, turning in her fourth multiple-hit game this season and increased her hitting streak to four.
 
Utah plated one run in the top of the fifth, but Berzon went on to retire the final six batters she faced, including three strikeouts in the sixth frame to secure the 2-1 win.
 
Game Two
 
Kilponen won her third game of the young season and now has 47 career wins which is tied for 10th all time with Cody Trahan (2007-2010). Kilponen tossed a complete game shutout, totaling eight strikeouts and holding the Sugar Bears to a .125 batting average in a 1-0 victory.
 
Coffey recorded her 30th career multi-hit game at LSU with hits in the fourth and sixth inning. She also tacked on the only run of the game in the bottom of the fourth frame on an RBI from Pleasants. 
 
From the fifth inning on, Kilponen struck out three batters and gave up just two hits and one walk to close the game. It was Kilponen’s second shutout in four appearances this season.
 
On Deck
 
LSU will conclude the Tiger Classic on Sunday with a game against Central Arkansas at 12:30 p.m. at Tiger Park.
 

Da Boot Sports
2/17/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Keonte Herrera


   BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 18 LSU (7-0) swept opening day of the Tiger Classic in dramatic fashion. Freshman pitcher Alea Johnson (2-0) tossed her first career shutout in an 8-0, five-inning victory over Ohio (2-3), and shortstop Taylor Pleasants walked off Utah (5-2) in the seventh inning with a three-run home run Friday at Tiger Park.
 
LSU has thrown a shutout in three of its seven games this season to go along with four run-rules. Pleasants registered The Fighting Tigers first walk-off home run victory since Shelbi Sunseri did it against Drake in February 2022.
 
“That’s why they call us Fighting Tigers,” said Head Coach Beth Torina. “If we’ve got outs left, we’ve got breath. We’ve got a chance and I think we showed that.”
 
Pleasants continues to be a force at the dish, going 4-for-8 with seven RBIs on the day. Infielders Ciara Briggs, Danieca Coffey and Karli Petty all recorded three hits on the day. Briggs and Coffey also led the team in runs scored with three apiece.
 
Game One
 
Johnson pitched the first shutout of her career against the Bobcats, where she threw a complete game, logging three strike outs while only allowing three hits in five innings.
 
Pleasants went 2-for-4 from the plate and recorded a season-high four RBIs. Outfielder Ali Newland had her second multi-RBI game this season with two RBIs in the game. Outfielder McKenzie Redoutey tallied five total bases on two extra-base hits, including a triple and a double.
 
This game marked the third time this season the Tigers totaled 11 or more hits in a game.
 
LSU got on the board in the second inning. Petty led off the inning with a double, setting up Newland’s RBI single. After Redoutey hit the Tigers second double of the frame, outfielder Savannah Stewart brought Newland home on a sac fly to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead heading into the third. LSU immediately followed its two-run effort with another run in the third inning thanks to a sac fly from Newland that plated infielder Georgia Clark.
 
The Tigers continued their offensive dominance in the fourth inning. Pleasants lined a two-RBI single straight up the middle, bringing in Coffey and Briggs to increase the Tigers margin, 5-0.
 
Pleasants hit her second two-RBI single of the game to begin the fifth inning, and Clark crossed an insurance run to complete the run-rule for the Tigers.
 
Game Two
 
Ali Kilponen (2-0) started the game against Utah where she put in 3.2 innings and tallied one strike out before freshman Sydney Berzon (2-0) came in relief with two outs in the top of the fourth inning. Berzon finished the game throwing 3.1 innings and allowed one run in the come-from-behind victory.
 
Pleasants stole the show once again, going 2-for-4 from the plate with three RBI’s all coming on the walk-off homer. Coffey and outfielder Raeleen Gutierrez tied Pleasants for the team lead in hits with two, while both also tacked on an RBI.
 
Utah strung together three runs through the first three innings, but the Tigers were able to respond in the bottom of the third with two runs of their own. Gutierrez drove in Redoutey with the first triple of her career. Coffey came up to bat next and hit a RBI single to cut into Utah’s lead, 3-2.
 
The Utes were able to score one run in the top of the fifth, but once again the Tigers answered. After Coffey singled, Briggs battled at the plate by fighting off 11 pitches before ripping an RBI double into right field to make the score 4-3, Utah to end the fifth inning.
 
After holding Utah scoreless for the final two innings, Gutierrez hit a leadoff single through the right side and was pinch ran for by freshman Maia Townsend. With one out, Briggs reached on a fielding error to put runners on the corners. Pleasants stepped into the batter’s box next, and with a 1-0 count, she sent a moonshot to deep center field, giving the Tigers their first walk-off of the season, 6-4.
 
It is the Tigers first walk-off home run victory since Shelby Sunseri did it against Drake in February 2022.
 
On Deck
 
LSU will face off against Central Arkansas at 4 p.m. and Utah at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18 at Tiger Park.
 

Da Boot Sports
2/12/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Keonte Herrera


   BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 20/25 LSU (5-0) concluded the LSU Invitational by shutting out No. 19/25 Oregon State for the second time this weekend, 3-0 and outlasting Nicholls, 4-3 at Tiger Park.
Ali Kilponen (2-0) starred in the circle for game one and pitched a two-hit shutout against Oregon State highlighted by a season-high 10 strikeouts.

Freshman Alea Johnson (1-0) made her first career start on the rubber in game two. Through 4.0 innings, she logged six strikeouts and held opposing batters to a .188 batting average. Emilee Casanova would relieve her in the fifth inning, recording two strikeouts in 2.0 innings of work, and Sydney Berzon captured her second save of the weekend and had one strikeout.

Taylor Pleasants had a monster afternoon for LSU. She batted .500 with two home runs and a team-high 5 RBIs to go along with a 2.000 slugging percentage. Pleasants’ four home runs over the weekend brought her to No. 5 all-time in the LSU record book with 33 career home runs.

Ciara Briggs led the team with four hits and three runs, while Georgia Clark, McKenzie Redoutey and Savannah Stewart each logged two hits on the day.

LSU outscored its opponents 41-6 this weekend.

“We have a ton of things to learn and get better at,” said head coach Beth Torina. “But to be able to learn as you’re winning is the way you want to do it. Taylor Pleasants had an incredible weekend for us, and I think she elevated our offense. Sydney Berzon shined throughout the weekend too and stepped up when we called upon her name to get the job done.”


Game One
   Kilponen threw a complete two-hit shutout to knock off the Oregon State Beavers. Kilponen held
the opposition to a .043 batting average while striking out 10 batters.
Briggs was 2-for-4 at the plate and scored one run, and Pleasants went yard for the first time on the day that drove in two.
Kilponen started the Tigers off with three strikeouts to retire the side in the first inning. In the second stanza, LSU hit three consecutive singles from Redoutey, Maci Bergeron and Raeleen Gutierrez. Redoutey crossed home plate thanks to Danieca Coffey’s sac fly to put the Tigers on the board.
After two more scoreless innings, Pleasants hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the fifth inning that would serve as the final runs of the game. Kilponen went on to retire six consecutive batters to end the game and collected three strikeouts in the final two frames.


Game Two
   Johnson took the circle and tossed 4.0 innings with six strike outs and allowed two runs. Casanova took over in relief at the top of the fifth inning and logged two strike outs before Berzon stepped in to record the save with a strikeout in the seventh.
Briggs had another 2-for-4 performance and scored two runs, and Stewart recorded her 10th career two-hit game as she went 2-for-3 and scored one run.
After a pair of scoreless innings, Nicholls struck first in the top of the third. However, the Tigers answered with a run of their own after Karli Petty’s RBI single in the bottom half of the inning.
After being intentionally walked in the previous inning, Pleasants sent one over the right field wall with two already on base in the bottom of the fifth. The Tigers ended the inning with a 4-1 lead.
In the top of the fifth, Nicholls pulled within one run after scoring two, but Berzon closed out the game to seal the win for LSU.

​On Deck
LSU will face off against Eastern Illinois on Thursday, February 16 at 6 p.m. before hosting the Tiger Classic at Tiger Park Feb. 17-19.

Da Boot Sports
2/11/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Keonte Herrera


   BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 20/25 LSU (3-0) swept day two of the LSU Invitational with a pair of run-rule games. Freshman pitcher Sydney Berzon opened the day with a one-hit, 12-0 shutout win in her collegiate debut against No. 19/25 Oregon (1-2) State and picked up her first collegiate save in the 11-3 victory over New Mexico (2-3).
 
Overall, Berzon finished with a 0.00 ERA and held the opponent’s batting average to .087 behind six strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work.
 
Taylor Pleasants had herself a day at the plate. Pleasants led the Tigers with a 4-for-7 performance at the dish with two home runs, five RBIs and scored five runs. Ali Newland matched Pleasants five ribbies and went 2-for-4 at the plate highlighted by a three-run shot against New Mexico.
 
Georgia Clark went 2-for-2 which included a two-run homer in the game against Oregon State and drew a total of five walks. Danieca Coffey logged three hits total on the day, while Ciara Brigs matched a team-high five runs scored.
 
LSU’s 11-3 victory over New Mexico marks the first time an LSU team has scored 10 or more runs in each of their first three games in a season.
 
Game One
 
Berzon (1-0) shined in her debut with a one-hit shutout against the Beavers. The Freshman started the game by retiring eight consecutive batters and ultimately retired 15 of the 16 batters she faced to go along with five strikeouts.
 
Pleasants took charge offensively for the Tigers going 2-for-4 from the plate highlighted by a three-run shot in the second inning. McKenzie Redoutey had a day at the plate as well, batting 2-for-3 with two ribbies, and Clark also drove in a pair of runs with a homer of her own. 
 
After Berzon retired three straight batters to begin the game, the Tigers put up four runs in the bottom of the first inning thanks to RBIs from Karli Petty, Redoutey and Hannah Carson.
 
The bats stayed hot for the Tigers in the second inning. Coffey singled and Briggs drew walk to setup Pleasants’ 3-run homer to centerfield. The Fighting Tigers plated two more in the bottom of the second courtesy of RBIs by Newland and Redoutey. LSU ended the inning with a 9-0 lead.
 
Clark kept the offense rolling with a 2-run jack to right field. Maci Bergeron drove in one more run in the bottom of the fourth to increase the Tigers lead, 12-0. Oregon State would go three-up and three-down in the top of fifth to seal the run rule for the Tigers.
 
Game Two
 
Raelin Chaffin (1-0) was credited with the win in the circle after tossing 4.1 innings where she struck out two batters. Berzon entered the game in the top of the fifth inning with the Tigers up 5-2. She went on to throw the remaining 1.2 innings and had one strikeout to secure the save.
 
Coffey, Petty, and Pleasants each registered two hits and Pleasants hit her second home run of the day in the bottom of the fifth. Newland drove in four runs including her three RBI homerun to round out the Tigers that finished with multiple RBIs.
 
The Tigers struck first in the opening inning thanks to Petty’s RBI single. Pleasants, Briggs, and Coffey scored runs in the second inning due to multiple errors by New Mexico, increasing LSU’s lead to 4-0.
 
The Lobos scored two runs in the top of the third. LSU walked in a run when Newland was hit by pitch with the bases loaded, giving LSU a 5-2 lead at the end of the fourth.
 
New Mexico plated one more run in the top of the fifth inning, but the Fighting Tigers blew the game open with five runs in the bottom half. Pleasants hit her second home run of the day that brought home two runs, and a few batters later, Newland’s three-run dinger put the Tigers ahead 10-3.
 
In the sixth inning, Raeleen Gutierrez hit a standup double and was pinch ran for by freshman Maia Townsend. Coffey came to the plate and sliced the ball through the left side to add the insurance run to seal the game.
 
ON DECK
 
LSU will conclude the LSU Invitational with two games Sunday. The Tigers will play at 12:30 p.m. against No. 19/25 Oregon State followed by a 3 p.m. matchup against Nicholls at Tiger Park.
 

Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi

Da Boot Sports
2/10/2023
LSU Sports Communications
By: Keonte Herrera

   BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 20/25 LSU opened the season with 16 hits in the six-inning 11-3 victory over New Mexico on day one of the LSU Invitational. A total of 1,867 fans came out to Tiger Park on Opening Day.
 
Eight players logged two hits in the game, including transfer Karli Petty who was 2-for-4 at the plate with a career-high four RBIs.
 
Hannah Carson, Danieca Coffey and Taylor Pleasants each went 2-for-4 at the dish. Coffey increased her hitting streak to eight games while both Carson and Pleasants drove in three RBIs.
 
Ciara Briggs had her 40th career game with multiple hits after her single in the top of the third inning. She finished 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored for the Tigers.
 
Ali Kilponen threw a complete game in her first win of the season where she totaled seven strikeouts. The win was the 45th of her career, putting her two wins shy of a No. 10 all-time ranking in program history.
 
After Kilponen struck out the side in the top of the first inning, Pleasants reached on a fielder’s choice. Georgia Clark and Mckenzie Redoutey drew walks to load the bases with two outs. Petty came to the plate and in her first at bat as an LSU Tiger, hit a rocket up the middle for a two-RBI single.
 
New Mexico got on the board with a solo shot in the second inning, but the Tigers respond in the third with a pair of runs driven in by Petty and Carson.
 
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Tigers loaded the bases for the third time. Pleasants roped one through the left side, plating three runs on the stand-up double. A few batters later, Petty recorded her fourth RBI in the game to complete a four-run inning for LSU to make the score 8-1.
 
New Mexico crossed two more runners in the top of the fifth, but the Fighting Tigers answered the call again with a two-RBI double from Carson in the bottom of the sixth to increase LSU’s lead, 10-3. Ali Newland finished things off with an RBI-single to right field that brought home the run to complete the run-rule game.
 
Head Coach Beth Torina
 
On the team’s energy on opening day
 
“Yea I thought it was good. They came ready to play. The offense did a great job. They hit hard and hit well.”
 
On seeing a lot of new faces in the lineup
 
“I like the pieces we added to go along with our core. From our transfers to our freshmen, you will see them a lot. They will start, they will play in big games, and they will play in big situations. And I am fully confident in them.”
 
Shortstop Taylor Pleasants
On the first game feeling…
“It’s an awesome feeling to come to Tiger Park and get a win. We had a lot of fans here for opening night. I think that was the largest crowd we’ve had on opening night. They really brought the energy. I think it was a good night for us. We have a lot to build on.”
On the 16 hits…
“I think there is a lot more of that coming. There’s going to be games that we don’t have that but, our pinch hitters are going to keep us in the game and were going to do as much as we can.”
Pitcher Ali Kilponen
On the first game feeling…
“It wasn’t my best performance, but I think my team has been outstanding. Our offense was crazy, our defense was solid and I’m going to be better, but I thought it was a good start.”
On starting out with three strikeouts…
“That was good. It was refreshing to come out, the first inning jitters were out. There’s always room for improvement. I’m going to learn from tonight and be better for tomorrow.”
ON DECK
 
LSU returns to field Saturday to face No. 19/25 Oregon State at 2:30 p.m. and finishes the day against New Mexico at 5:00 p.m.


      ***Changes to the schedule for day two of the LSU Invitational have been made due to inclement weather.
   The Oregon State and New Mexico game has been moved to the 2:30 p.m. slot and LSU will face Oregon State and New Mexico at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively.

Da Boot Sports
2/2/2023
By: Terrill J. Weil


   BATON ROUGE, LA - Beth Torina and her LSU Lady Tigers are itching to begin play in 2023 after a some what disappointing finish last season.

   The Lady Tigers battled through an up and down roller coaster year finishing the season with a one and done in the SEC Tournament followed by a tough 0-2 in the NCAA Tempe, Arizona Regional. They finished the 2022 season 34-23 overall and 13-11 in the SEC.

   LSU returns a solid roster of players, lead by Ali Kilponen, Taylor Pleasants and Georgia Clark. 

   The Lady Tigers open their season hosting the LSU Invitational that begins on Friday, Feb. 10 against New Mexico at 6:00pm.

   We have video footage of Coach Torina's press conference as well as player interviews below for your viewing..   GEAUX TIGERS!!!

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