LSU started the second half of its SEC season at Missouri on Friday night the way most people expected the defending national champion Tigers to play all season, dominating offensively, defensively and on the mound, in a 12-1 seven inning run-rule win over Missouri in Columbia in game one of the series.
LSU (24-15, 4-12 SEC) exploded for 13 hits and four home runs while sophomore pitcher Gage Jump was in complete command from start to finish as the Tigers from the Bayou blasted Missouri (17-22, 5-11 SEC).
Throwing fastballs, 12-to-6 curveballs, sliders and changeups, Jump dominated in his first career complete game. Jump struck out a career-high 14, while giving up only three hits, one walk and one run.
TIGERS WIN! TIGERS WIN! pic.twitter.com/Y6uU3durEv
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) April 20, 2024
Hayden Travinski led the LSU offensive assault with a three-run home run and four RBI. Brady Neal, Steven Milam and Jared Jones also homered for the Tigers, while freshman right fielder Ashton Larson stroked two doubles.
HT Laser Show@haydenrt_ | SECN pic.twitter.com/3H4iiYEiVw
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) April 20, 2024
MONSTER MASH@Monster_Milam99 | SECN pic.twitter.com/22hlbAIi8d
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) April 20, 2024
The teams meet in Game 2 of the series at 4 p.m. CT Saturday in a contest that will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network and streamed on SEC Network +.
Jump (3-1) pitched the seven-inning complete game, limiting Missouri to one run on three hits with one walk and 14 strikeouts. He threw 98 pitches in the outing, 65 for strikes.
“It was a great performance by Gage and a great win for our team,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “Gage controlled the tempo of the game, and our hitters took great at-bats. We produced a lot of line drives with runners in scoring position, and we controlled the game from the first pitch to the last.”
LSU coach Jay Johnson
“It was a great performance by Gage and a great win for our team,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “Gage controlled the tempo of the game, and our hitters took great at-bats. We produced a lot of line drives with runners in scoring position, and we controlled the game from the first pitch to the last.”
Jump’s 14 strikeouts marked the most by an LSU pitcher since Ty Floyd recorded 17 strikeouts versus Florida last June in the College World Series.
Jump’s seven-inning complete game was the first by an LSU pitcher since Paul Skenes posted a seven-inning complete-game win over Mississippi State on May 13, 2023.
Missouri starting pitcher Logan Lunceford (1-3) was tagged with the loss after allowing eight runs on seven hits in 2.2 innings with four walks and four strikeouts.
LSU grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when rightfielder Ashton Larson smashed an RBI double, and the Tigers extended the advantage to 2-0 in the second on a solo homer by Neal, his sixth dinger of the season.
LSU erupted for six runs in the third as Milam launched a solo homer – the first of his collegiate career – and Travinski blasted a three-run shot to highlight the outburst, which also featured RBI doubles by shortstop Michael Braswell III and by centerfielder Paxton Kling.
Missouri got on the board in the bottom of the third when leftfielder Jeric Curtis provided a run-scoring single.
LSU extended its lead to 11-1 in the fourth as Jones unloaded a two-run homer – his team leading 16th dinger of the season – and Travinski later scored from third on a wild pitch by Missouri reliever Kaden Jacobi.
Travinski’s RBI groundout in the sixth scored Jones from third and gave the Tigers a 12-1 cushion.
Loved the game… but Missouri was 17-21…
at least we got out of the top 15 tough row to beat for a change!
Geaux!