LSU opens 5-game softball homestand
“I think that we’re capable of doing all of the things to be a great softball team.” Beth torina, LSU coach
The LSU softball team opens up a five-game homestand and plays host its first midweek contest of the 2012 season Tuesday against Southeastern Louisiana. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. at Tiger Park.
LSU (4-4) has won 16 of its 17 meeting against the Lady Lions (1-7), including a 9-0 five-inning decision during the two teams only meeting last season. Rachele Fico tossed the third perfect game in program history, while Tammy Wray fueled the offense with a 3-for-3 effort and three RBIs.
Southeastern Louisiana’s offense has been sparked by Meghan Gomez and Ariell Van Hook. The duo has combined for all six of the Lady Lion home runs and 15 of the squad’s 31 RBIs for the season. Vicki Honeycutt has SLU’s lone win in the circle.
During their two wins last weekend at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic hosted by UNLV, the Tigers defeated Cal State Northridge and Utah State by an impressive 24-0 margin.
“I thought our offense did some nice things, and I was happy with the way they performed in three of our four games over the weekend,” coach Beth Torina said. “We’ve played an extremely tough schedule to this point. I hope our offense can continue to roll this week and really build some true confidence going forward.”
Allison Falcon enters Tuesday’s contest with a career-long five-game hitting streak. The Donaldsonville native has compiled a team-leading .474 batting average to go along with four RBIs.
Juliana Santos is right behind Falcon with seven hits and a .389 average. She has hit safely in six of eight outings and added five RBIs.
Ashley Langoni produced six RBIs and became the ninth player to reach 25 career home runs. Four of Langoni’s five hits have scored runs this season.
Rachele Fico continued to be dominant for LSU in the circle. Against Utah State, she fired her second one-hitter of the season, while posting a 3-1 record and a sparkling 0.58 ERA in 24 innings of work.
“I think that we’re capable of doing all of the things to be a great softball team whether it’s pitching, offense or defense,” Torina said. “We’ve shown we can do all three things. We just need to put them together and do them at the same time. In the long run, all of the things that we are doing are going to pay off.”
As part of “Mardi Gras Day” at the ballpark, the first 1,000 fans will receive a commemorative softball medallion bead.
Also, LSU softball will be collecting new packs of pencils at the fan zone on the concourse. The Tigers will donate the items collected to USA Softball’s Pencil Drive when the team travels to the Preview Tournament in March.