BATON ROUGE - LSU softball started the NCAA Tournament strong with a first-round-shutout over Akron. The Tigers beat the Zips 8-0 to advance in the winner's bracket.

Tiger pitcher Jayden Heavener threw all six innings of play. She only allowed three hits, no runs and struck out 11 of the 24 batters she faced.

Offensively, the LSU bats were firing on all cylinders against Akron. Almost everyone in the lineup got a hit. Kylee Edwards went 2-of-4 with two RBI courtesy of a double and a triple.

Alix Franklin hit a solo home run in the third inning to add to LSU's lead.

The Tigers advance in the Baton Rouge Regional after the win. They will face Virginia Tech in the winner's bracket on Saturday at noon.