BATON ROUGE – Behind 11 runs in the first inning and a three-hit shutout by Emily Turner, the LSU softball team destroyed Kentucky, 18-0, in five innings to take the Southeastern Conference series on Sunday afternoon at Tiger Park.

With the win, the Tigers improved to 22-15 on the season and 6-12 in SEC play. The Wildcats dropped to 17-31 overall and 3-17 in league action. LSU claimed its second straight conference series, taking 2-of-3 from Kentucky.

With 18 runs on 17 hits and 16 RBIs, the Tigers scored the most runs in an SEC game in school history, while also recording the most RBIs and the second most hits in an SEC game in school history. Nine players posted hits for LSU, including the first career hit for freshman Dee Dee Henderson on her 18th birthday, while seven players recorded multiple-hit games.

Lauren Castle and Lauren Delahoussaye each went 3-for-4 on the day to lead the Tigers at the plate. Castle also stole a base, scored a pair of runs and knocked in one, while Delahoussaye recorded a double, knocked in three and scored three runs. Quinlan Duhon led LSU with four RBIs, one of four Tigers with multiple-RBI games.

“We just let them play and have fun,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard of the win. “It’s been a long time since we’ve felt that. I think they hit a wall and hit the bottom and are trying to climb back up and feel good about themselves.

“We were far more disciplined at the plate,” Girouard continued. “Lauren Delahoussaye was one that made total adjustments. She looked like the old Lauren Delahoussaye.”