By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
It wasn’t a Southeastern Conference win, but at least LSU beat someone with Southeastern in its name.
LSU bunched together 12 hits and did not make an error for an easy, 12-4 win over Southeastern Louisiana at Alex Box Stadium on Tuesday night after a frustrating weekend at Mississippi State, which swept the Tigers, 10-8, 9-8 and 13-8 to give LSU a school record nine straight SEC losses.
“That was a tough weekend,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said after the win. “I’m very proud of how the players competed over the weekend, and I’m not going to say that often when we get swept. But particularly on the offensive side of the ball. We did what we needed to do. We had the lead in all three games. Weren’t able to handle it on the pitching front. But I thought we competed.”
The Tigers (25-21, 6-15 SEC) then got right back up for Tuesday’s game and erupted for three runs in the second inning to take a 5-4 lead over the Lions (28-18, 16-8 Southland Conference). Jack Ruckert and William Patrick led off with walks before an RBI single by Mason Braun to cut the Lions’ lead to 4-3. Omar Serna Jr. drove in another run with a ground out to shortstop to tie it. Then Derek Curiel put LSU ahead at 5-4 with an RBI double.
Curiel struck again in the fifth with a solo home run for a 6-4 lead. And the Tigers made that 7-4 in the sixth when Ruckert doubled and scored on Tanner Reaves’ RBI single.
The Tigers put the game out of reach in the seventh with five runs on three hits and three walks. Milam had an RBI single. Ruckert doubled in two, and two runs scored on a bunt by Patrick for the 12-4 lead.
“Our guys did a great job of being ready to play tonight,” Johnson said. “And that’s a step forward and a sign of maturity. You have to have that to be the type of team we want to be. And I’m looking forward to seeing that this weekend.”
LSU returns to SEC play on Friday night to open a three-game SEC series against South Carolina (22-24, 7-14 SEC) at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+. The Gamecocks lost, 4-0, to The Citadel (22-22, 6-9 Southern Conference) on Tuesday night at home.
LSU took a 2-1 lead in the first inning when Serna singled and Curiel doubled to start a rally after one out. Serna scored on a wild pitch to tie it 1-1 before Cade Arrambide’s RBI single made it 2-1.
Southeastern took a 1-0 lead in the first inning off LSU starter Reagan Ricken, who allowed a walk, a single and hit a batter to start the game and left. Brody Capps greeted reliever Danny Lachenmayer with a sacrifice fly to left field. Lachenmayer (2-0) picked up the win because he was the pitcher of record when LSU took the 5-4 lead in the second. But he allowed three runs on two hits with a walk in two innings. He struck out three.
Reliever Zac Cowan was LSU’s top pitcher of the night as he pitched four innings from the third through the sixth, shutting out the Lions on two hits with only one walk and zero wild pitches or hit batsmen. And he struck out seven.
Be the first to comment