Greg LeBlanc
May 27, 2015
Q&A – Keierica Howard
May 28, 2015
About 30 minutes after the record-sized crowd of 3,000-plus had departed for the day, a huge Sunday afternoon thunderstorm shook and soaked LSU’s Tiger Park.
Before the rains came, it was the LSU softball team’s offense providing all of the lightning and thunder – the energy and efficiency that the Tigers needed to clinch a berth in the College World Series for the fourth time in school history.
LSU’s offense roared on Sunday afternoon in the NCAA Super Regionals, enabling the Tigers to beat Arizona 10-5.
A day earlier, LSU did the same to Arizona in a 8-0 run-rule victory. The 18-run, two-win weekend punched the Tigers’ ticket into the CWS, where they and seven others will compete for the NCAA Softball National Championship this week.
“I am just so proud of this team,” LSU softball coach Beth Torina said. “I feel like starting back in the fall, this team was on a mission. They worked so hard, and they truly earned this moment today. If they had won or lost, I still would have been so proud to be the coach of this team. I’ve truly enjoyed every minute with these girls this year.”
It was the Tigers’ bats that did most of the damage in the Best of 3 series with Arizona.
LSU set the tone early, scoring four runs in the first inning of Game 1 on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers followed that up with consecutive two-run innings in the second and third innings to grab an 8-0 advantage and firm control.
Right fielder Bailey Landry provided some rare power in the offensive outburst, smacking just her second home run of the season to help bury the Wildcats. Landry was 2-of-3 with two runs scored and two RBI in the game. Third baseman Sahvanna Jaquish, catcher Kellsi Kloss and first baseman Sandra Simmons each added hits, as well.
With the early runs in hand, LSU freshman pitcher Carley Hoover was able to pitch without pressure or worry. She excelled, allowing just one hit in five innings and 84 pitches. The game was called after four and a half innings because of the NCAA’s mercy rule.
Hoover said she was proud of how well she responded to the pressures that come with pitching in an NCAA Super Regional game as a freshman.
“I wasn’t nervous,” she said. “I just think that my confidence level is really high when we have fans like this and a park like this. It’s packed, and we come out and score runs like this. It’s really hard for me to not be confident in my stuff when everyone else is so confident in their stuff.”
That confidence Hoover mentioned was on full display again in Game 2, as the Tigers roared for four more first-inning runs to take a 4-0 lead for a second-straight day against Arizona.
The Wildcats battled back on Sunday, scoring five runs on eight hits. But every time the Wildcats creeped closer, LSU exploded to stretch back out the lead.
The Tigers scored two runs in the third inning to go on top 6-2. After the Wildcats got a run in the bottom of the third to make the score 6-3, LSU scored two more in the fourth to go on top 8-3.
Arizona had its last stand in the bottom of the fifth inning, loading the bases and scoring two runs to make it an 8-5 game. But with the bases loaded and one out, Hoover relieved starting pitcher Allie Walljasper, retiring two-straight batters to throw ice on Arizona’s fire.
In the seventh inning, the Tigers all-but ended it, hammering home two more runs to cap its 10-run, 12-hit afternoon.
The bottom half of the LSU batting order was huge in the win. Simmons was 3-of-3 with 5 RBI. Designated hitter Constance Quinn was also effective, going 2-of-3 with 3 RBI.
To be able to pummel an opponent without a dominant showing from elite shortstop Bianka Bell shows Torina that her Tigers have evolved to become a well-balanced team that is peaking at the right time.
“I think this team truly understands the team concept,” Torina said. “Everybody has a role, and they play it to the absolute best of their ability. There are never any hard feelings or selfishness with this group. They are just so selfless with whatever we ask them to do.”
With the Super Regional victory now in-hand, the Tigers will turn their attention to winning the National Championship. LSU will open the CWS on Thursday afternoon against a familiar foe – No. 4 Auburn.
The two SEC rivals played a three-game series in the regular season with Auburn winning two of the three games.
But that was then and this is now, and the Tigers think they are playing some of their best softball of the season.
After this past weekend in Tiger Park, it’s awfully hard to disagree with that sentiment.
“It’s exciting,” Simmons said. “I couldn’t be more thankful to have the group of girls that we have and the coaching staff and support staff…. Everything was done through teammates, through positive energy, through encouragement and just being uplifted.”
“I wouldn’t want anything else,” Walljasper said when asked about going to the CWS. “We’ve been working hard this whole time. For our team to come together as the power of one, it’s really shown this week.”
LSU junior shortstop Bianka Bell dives into home plate during Sunday afternoon’s 10-5 victory against Arizona. The Tigers scored a two-game sweep of the Wildcats, punching a ticket to the Women’s College World Series for the fourth time in school history. Offense was a huge cog for the Tigers, who recorded 18 runs in the two-game series. LSU will face Auburn in the WCWS. That game will take place Thursday at 1:30 on ESPN.
