BATON ROUGE -- Mikayla Brown and the Northwestern State softball team battled No. 15 LSU early, but Tiger pitching counterpart Allie Walljasper helped herself in the batter's box to create space Tuesday night in Tiger Park
 
Walljasper's grand slam in the fourth inning anchored a six-inning run as LSU raced to an 8-0 win in five innings over NSU (24-16).

Brown (9-5) had held LSU (33-10) to one run and two hits through three innings, but the Tigers took advantage of runners on board in the fourth.
 
After two singles and a walk loaded the bases, Walljasper (12-4) hit her second home run of the season to push LSU's lead to 5-0. Walljasper had a home run and a double at the plate as LSU collected eight hits.
 
"Brown I thought did a great job in the first three innings, but worked behind a little bit, and it caught up to her there on that (grand slam)," said NSU coach Donald Pickett. "There are a lot of things we can improve on and are capable of doing better.
 
"We've just got to be hungry and determined these next 10 games to finish the regular season."
 
Freshman reliever E.C. Delafield entered and loaded the bases again with a single and two walks, setting up an RBI walk from Emily Griggs and a sacrifice fly RBI from Amanda Doyle (2-for-2) for a 7-0 edge.
 
The Tigers ended the game in the next inning on an Elyse Thornhill RBI single for the 8-0 win.
 
Facing an All-American pitcher in Walljasper, NSU made a little noise at the plate by being patient.
 
The Lady Demons put a pair of runners on in two different innings, but NSU couldn't advance a runner to third base.
 
"We had some better at-bats tonight, and we hit the ball on the ground and put some base runners on," Pickett said. "We had the leadoff batters on in a couple of innings, but we just couldn't get them in."
 
Kaitlyn St. Clair was hit by a pitch and a Hayley Barbazon infield single moved a runner to second base in the second inning.
 
But Walljasper recorded two of three strikeouts to end the inning.
 
In the fourth inning, Cayla Jones and Julie Rawls drew walks, but Walljasper induced a pair of ground outs to third base to end the threat.
 
Adele Vincent posted NSU's only other hit, a single in the fifth inning. Vincent was wiped out by one of two LSU double plays.
 
Walljasper surrendered two hits, two walks and a hit by pitch in 4 2/3 scoreless innings.
 
LSU's strong fourth inning escalated Brown's numbers five runs on five hits and three walks in 3 1/3 scoreless innings.
 
NSU (24-16, 11-7) will re-enter Southland Conference play with a weekend trip to Nicholls, a series starting Friday at 5 p.m.
 
The Lady Demons are in a tie for fifth-place but just one game out of first place, which Nicholls holds with McNeese and Stephen F. Austin.