LAS VEGAS – The fifth-ranked LSU softball team split a pair of games, falling to Illinois, 5-3, before coming back to defeat Louisville, 7-1, on Saturday at Eller Media Stadium as part of the UNLV Desert Classic.

With the split the Tigers are now 1-1 on the season. The Illini moved to 4-4, while Louisville, which defeated nationally ranked Oklahoma last weekend, fell to 3-3 on the season.

“I am really proud of the way the team responded after a lackluster performance in the first game,” said LSU head coach Yvette Girouard. “The team never quit in the first game. It wasn’t pretty, but we didn’t take advantage of the opportunities we were given.

“It was a tale of two games in the second as we went out and attacked their pitching. We challenged this team after the loss that it’s how you respond when you fail that makes the difference. I thought our defense was unbelievable today. I am very proud of the way we played. We saw some things that we need to work on and we will get better.”

Freshman Quinlan Duhon led LSU with a 3-for-6 performance, including a double and an RBI, on the day. Freshman Killian Roessner also posted three hits, going 3-for-7, while freshman Vanessa Soto went 3-for-8 with two doubles, a home run and two RBIs.

Junior Lauren Delahoussaye posted her first home run of the season, going 2-for-5 with a team-best three RBIs on the day. As a team, the Tigers hit .328 over the two games with five doubles and two home runs.

“I thought we had some really outstanding individual performances today,” said Girouard. “Several of our freshmen really went out and attacked at the plate and it showed in their performances. We hit the ball solidly the entire day.”

Turner came on in relief in the sixth and allowed only two hits with two strikeouts in two innings of work.”

LSU returns home to host the Tiger Classic next weekend. The Tigers will face Indiana, Southern and Grambling in the three-day tournament at Tiger Park. Action begins on Friday and concludes with the tournament championship game on Sunday.