By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson prides himself on building teams that can win every which way – high scoring games with home runs and doubles or low scoring games with timely hitting, bunts and pitching.
Over the last two days against lighter competition, the No. 1 Tigers collected just 10 hits, but they won each game.
On Saturday afternoon, LSU transfer pitcher Cooper Moore of Kansas provided the small ball win by limiting Northeastern to one run on three hits and a walk in seven and two-thirds innings while striking out 10 for a tight, 3-1 win in front of 11,839 at Alex Box Stadium. Moore went to 3-0 on the season.
“Yeah, he’s a star,” Johnson said. “There’s always the one guy you have to get in the boat. Clearly, that’s Cooper for this team. Great pitch mix, and he was excellent.”
The only run off Moore came on a solo home run by AJ Aschettino in the top of the fifth to cut LSU’s lead to 3-1.
Moore threw 104 pitches with 75 of those strikes.
“And not hittable strikes,” Johnson said.
Moore’s efficiency led to a game that lasted just two hours and 32 minutes.
“It seems like the game went by in a flash,” Johnson said.
Northeastern, which fell to 1-3, is not a Southeastern Conference team, by any means, but LSU (10-1) will have to win games in such fashion at times in the SEC.
The Tigers manufactured their three runs with five hits after beating Dartmouth, 5-2, on Friday night also on five hits.
Jake Brown singled in the first inning Saturday, then stole second and reached third on a wild pitch after two outs. After Steven Milam walked, he attempted to steal second base to attract a throw. He was thrown out by the catcher, but Brown touched the plate before Milam was tagged out for the run and a 1-0 lead.
Seth Dardar walked in the second inning, reached second on another wild pitch and scored on Brayden Simpson’s RBI single for a 2-0 lead. LSU made it 3-0 in the fourth when Trent Caraway walked, reached second on an Omar Serna Jr. single and scored when Serna’s hit was mishandled in center field for an error.
“We need to be a team that can in a lot of ways,” Johnson said. “And we’ve been doing that.”
The Tigers host Dartmouth on Sunday in a game that has been moved up to 12:30 p.m. Sunday from 1 p.m. to give Dartmouth a better chance to catch its flight home to Hanover, New Hampshire.
Johnson won his 200th game at LSU on Saturday.
“Here’s to the next 2,000,” he said. “How’s that?”
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