KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana News Weather & SportsLSU softball tops Louisiana Tech in Tiger Classic

Rikki Alcaraz and Kailey McCasland drove home their first career RBIs coupled with a Rachele Fico one-hit shutout in the circle to spark the LSU softball team to an 8-0 five-inning rout of Louisiana Tech Sunday to wrap up opening weekend at Tiger Park.

LSU (2-2) has won back-to-back games and exploded for season-bests with eight runs on eight hits. The Tigers also platted runs in the four of the game's five innings, while Louisiana Tech (1-3) lost its second straight game. 

Juliana Santos added a pair of RBIs in her first start in the clean-up spot since the 2010 season. Simone Heyward turned in a solid all-around effort. She produced two hits, scored two runs and stole two bases.

For LSU, Fico and Santos took home Tiger Classic All-Tournament Team honors.

"I liked how we competed, and I thought we got better every game of the weekend," head coach Beth Torina said. "We would have liked to see the offense better [for the entire weekend], but I like how they came out today. They had a good, strong showing and finished up on the right note."

The bottom of the lineup ignited a two-out rally to get LSU on the board during the second inning. A two-base throwing error by Louisiana Tech shortstop Melanie Goff placed Alcarez on second base. On the very next pitch, Allison Falcon ripped a RBI-single into centerfield to give the Tigers a 1-0 edge.

LSU struck for two additional runs in the third inning. Heyward ripped a leadoff single, while Santos and Ashleigh Kuhn filled the bases with consecutive walks. The Tigers went ahead 3-0 as McCasland laced a RBI-single through the left side followed by a passed ball which allowed Santos to score.

That would be more than enough run support for Rachele Fico, who retired nine straight batters after issuing a leadoff walk to open the game. Fico brought a no-hitter into the fourth inning and finished with three strikeouts against one walk to improve to 2-0 on the season.

"I feel pretty good out there," Fico said. "My defense is working really hard for me. Today, in the game, we didn't have too many strikeouts. They were putting the ball in play, and our defense took care of it. It's really easy to pitch when I know I have such a strong defense behind me."

LSU added two more runs in the fourth inning. With runners on second and third base, Santos delivered a timely two-out, two-run single to left field to make it 5-0.

Alcaraz platted two more runs and cranked a two-out double into the left centerfield gap during the fifth inning. After pinch runner Alex Boulet stole third base, the Tigers capped the 8-0 victory with a  Heyward sacrifice fly. 

"I think hitting is contagious," Torina said. "I think when you saw us hit this weekend, you saw multiple hits in those innings. I think once they get going and get confident, I think they'll be unstoppable."

LSU concludes its five-game homestand to open the season Wednesday versus Florida State, who is receiving votes in the both the NFCA and USA Softball Top 25 polls. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. from Tiger Park and live stats will be available on www.LSUsports.net/livestats. 

Release provided by Louisiana State University's sports information department.