Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BATON ROUGE, La. ---- Samford had a weekend off from conference play, facing #12 LSU in a Saturday doubleheader.  The Bulldogs held on in a 4-0 loss in game one but the potent LSU offense flexed its muscle in game two, winning 8-0 in six innings.
 
Samford (10-20) would struggle in both games against a formidable LSU (30-7) bullpen, only earning a combined five hits with 18 strikeouts.  Megan Dowdy and Alex Adams earned a hit in each of Saturday's games, while A.J. Andrews led the LSU lineup, going a combined 3-5 with two RBI.
 
GAME ONE: LSU 4, Samford 0
 
Rachele Fico (17-5) led the way for LSU with a standout performance in the circle, retiring 16-straight Bulldogs and allowing only two hits en route to the shutout victory.  The top four in LSU's order each earned a hit while the top three each drove in a run.
 
Shelby Scott (1-8) allowed the game's opening run off a bases-loaded walk, taking the tough loss while Caitlin Bice threw 4.2 relief innings with three earned runs crossing the plate.
 
Any hopes of an LSU no-hitter was erased quickly as Dowdy dropped the 2-2 pitch into shallow right field for a leadoff single in the top of the first.  Samford would eventually load the bases with two away in the half-inning but a popup to the LSU third baseman would strand the bases as LSU held the Bulldogs scoreless in the opening frame.
 
Back-to-back walks to lead off the bottom of the second had LSU threatening early and, following an infield popup, Simone Heyward was hit hard on an inside pitch leaning in to bunt, putting a runner at first to load the bases.  A.J. Andrews was walked in the following at-bat which brought a run home for LSU.  That ended the day for Scott in the circle as Bice entered to pitch.  Bice came back after a 3-0 count to strike out Jacee Blades and a runner left early for the third out as the Tigers were only able to get one run out of the inning.
 
LSU's Lauren Houston would lead off the bottom of the fourth with a single, eventually advancing to third with two away.  Blades just beat out an infield single to the right side in the next at-bat as Houston crossed the plate to put LSU up 2-0.  A fly ball to Dowdy in left field would end the inning with the Tigers now holding a two-run lead.
 
A leadoff walk would come back to bite the Bulldogs in the fifth, as she was moved to third with two away and came home off a wild pitch to push LSU ahead 3-0.  A walk and hit batter put two runners on for LSU but Samford got out of trouble after Alex Boulet took the first pitch of the at-bat back at Kayla Shaffer in center field for the third out as the Bulldogs now trailed 3-0.
 
LSU would tack on another run as Bianka Bell hit a one-out RBI single through the left side, scoring the runner from third to put the Tigers up 4-0.  Callie Brister would draw a one-out walk in the top of the seventh but two strikeouts would end the game as LSU held on for the 4-0 shutout in game one.
 
GAME TWO: LSU 8, Samford 0 (6 Innings)
 
Ashley Czechner (8-0) threw 5.0 shutout innings for LSU behind a potent offense to earn the run-rule win in game two.  A.J. Andrews and Bianka Bell earned a pair of hits with Bell driving in three of LSU's eight runs.
 
Samford's starter was roughed up early in game two as well, with Misha Aldridge (2-3) taking the loss while allowing five runs, four earned, over the opening 1.1 innings.  Bice made a second-straight relief appearance, throwing 4.1 innings with three runs, two earned, off six hits.
 
LSU's Andrews would slap a high single over the head of Abby Adams at short for the first hit of the game in the bottom of the second and would score later all the way from first off a throwing error with one away.  The Tigers would have two in scoring position later in the inning but a groundout would end the threat as Samford was able to get out of the inning only trailing 1-0.
 
In the bottom of the second with the bases loaded and one away, Blades would slap a hard infield single, moving everyone over a base to score a run as LSU now lead 2-0.  Bell would bring all three runners home with a hard double down the left-field line, standing up at second with a 5-0 lead.  That would end Aldridge's outing in the circle as Bice made a second-straight relief appearance.  Two groundouts would get Samford out of the inning but they now faced a 5-0 deficit heading into the third.
 
With one out in the top of the third, Shaffer would get Samford's first hit of the game, dropping a single into shallow left field.   Dowdy would follow that with a single back up the middle and, following a strikeout, Alex Adams would get an infield single courtesy of a bad hop at short but Shaffer was tagged out at home trying to score on the play for the final out of the half-inning.
 
LSU would add another run in the bottom of the fourth, as an RBI single by Allison Falcon would score Bell from second to move the Tigers up 6-0 with one away.  With two outs and runners at the corners, Falcon would be thrown out at home off a double steal attempt as the Tigers could only add one run to their lead in the inning as it was 6-0 heading into the fifth.
 
The Tigers would look to earn the run-rule victory in the fifth, moving ahead 7-0 off a two-out RBI single through the right side by Andrews.  Andrews would advance to second off the throw home but was left stranded off a groundout as the Bulldogs held on to fight another inning.
 
With one away in the sixth, Allison Falcon would reach off an infield single and Boulet, pinch-running, would steal second.  An RBI single by Kellsi Kloss would end it as LSU earned the 8-0 run rule victory.
 
Next weekend, Samford resumes conference play hosting the College of Charleston (15-15, 6-5 SoCon) in a three-game series beginning on Saturday, April 6 with a 1 p.m. doubleheader.  Game three will be Sunday, April 7 at 1 p.m.