FULLERTON, Calif. - LSU rallied late in their opening game at the Judi Garman Classic to defeat fourth ranked UCLA 2-1 on Thursday afternoon at Anderson Family Field to move to 15-0 on the season.

LSU out together a two-out rally scoring two runs in a four-hit sixth inning to take the first of five games on the West coast this weekend.

"I think we were prepared,” said Head Coach Beth Torina. “Syd Berzon did a ton of homework and was excited about this game. The team was able to roll with the punches as they came. Offensively, sometimes, we got into some counts that we didn’t like, but we did not let it affect us. We answered back and were able to hit no matter the count or what spots we were in because we were confident in our plan.”  

Pitcher Sydney Berzon (6-0) turned in her 40th career win in the circle after striking out four batters and giving up five hits, one run and one walk in 7.0 innings.

The Tigers will face tournament host Cal State Fullerton at 7:00 P.M. on Thursday to conclude day one before they face Utah at 11:30 A.M. and Notre Dame at 2:00 P.M. on Friday. LSU will conclude the weekend with an 11:00 A.M matchup against Weber State on Saturday.

LSU is 5-2 against Cal State Fullerton all-time and has won four of the last five games. The Tigers are 4-1 against Utah, including its last two wins over the Utes at the 2023 Tiger Classic in Baton Rouge. LSU holds a 3-1 advantage over Notre Dame and the Tigers and Weber State will meet for the first time Saturday.

Only Thursday night’s game against Cal State Fullerton will be streamed on ESPN+.