LSU Pounds Nicholls, 14-0

Photo By: Jonathan Mailhes

2/27/2021
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports


   BATON ROUGE, LA: The Tigers would pound on Nicholls in their second game of the day in Alex Box Stadium, as they would improve to 6-1 with a 14-0 victory. 
   The bats came back alive after struggling earlier in the day  against Youngstown State. Landon Marceaux would get the win for the Tigers, his first of the season. Marceaux would pitch six complete innings while striking out ten batters, a career high. 



​   The Tigers would go to work in the bottom of the 1st inning. Dylan Crews would get things going with a lead off solo home run over the right field wall. After a Tre' Morgan flyout, Cade Doughty would triple to deep center field.
   Cade Beloso would then draw a walk putting runners on the corners with only one out.
   Gavin Dugas would then fly out to left field, setting up Brody Drost at the plate. Drost would fly out
to center field stranding two runners on base. 1-0 Tigers....

   
​   LSU would get on the board again in the 2nd as Drew Bianco would hit his first home run of the season to left field. Jordan Thompson would step up next and keep the crowd cheering as he would smash the ball over the left center field wall for back to back homers for the Tigers. 3-0 LSU on top as we would head to the 3rd...
   Landon Marceaux would continue to keep the Colonels in check with another easy inning against the Nicholls hitters. 

   
   LSU would again get a threat going in the bottom of the 4th. Brody Drost would lead off with a single to right field, then move up to second on a wild pitch.
   Bianco would walk putting runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. After Jordan Thompson would strike out, both Drost and Bianco would execute a double steal to perfection.
   Alex Milazzo would come up to the plate and rip a double down the left field line scoring both runners to extend the Tigers lead to 5-0. The double would chase Nicholls starting pitcher Tyler Theriot from the game as the Colonels would bring Nico Saltaformaggio in from the bull pen.
   Nico would walk Crews. Then Tre' Morgan would step up next and hit a single to left field, scoring Milazzo giving the Tigers a 6-0 lead.
   Nico would get into trouble quickly as he would next walk Will Safford to load the bases with still only
one out.
   Up next steps Cade Beloso, and he would draw a RBI base on balls. 7-0 Tigers with the bases still loaded. Gavin Dugas would then hit a ball hard towards short stop. Parker Coddou would make a great stop for the Colonels and throw out Beloso at second, but Morgan would score from 3rd. 8-0 Tigers.
   LSU would now have runners on the corners with two outs as Nicholls would make a pitching change.
Colin Kramer would now take the mound for Nicholls.
   Drost would hit off of Kramer on his first pitch hitting a single to right field and moving up to 2nd on the throw, Dugas would advance to third while Stafford would cross the plate for another run. Thompson would ground out next to end the inning as we head to the 5th inning with LSU up 9-0. 


   Landon Marceaux would continue to pitch strong, dominating the Colonel batters with another three up-three down inning in the top of the 5th.
   LSU would once again threaten to add more runs, as the Colonel pitchers would all struggle against the Tigers powerful lineup. After Milazzo would ground out, Crews would single to left field. Maurice Hampton Jr. would pinch run for Crews.
   Morgan would step up and get hit by a pitch putting runners on 1st and 2nd. Both Hampton and Morgan would move up on a wild pitch.
   After Safford would strike out, Cade Beloso would rip a double to center field scoring both runners. Sanford would go down swinging for the final out, but the Tigers would have another inning, scoring two more runs for a 11-0 lead at the end of five. 


   LSU would build on their lead again in the bottom of the 6th. Drost would lead off with a double to right center, then would advance to third on a Bianco fly out to right field. 
   Cranford would ground out to short stop to score Drost giving the Tigers a 12-0 lead heading into the 7th inning. 


   Freshmen Ty Floyd would enter the game for the Tigers to pitch in the top of the 7th ending Marceaux's fantastic night. Floyd would get the Colonels three up-three down, striking out two of them, easily taking us to the bottom of the inning. 
   Will Stafford would draw a one out walk, bringing Hayden Travinski to the plate. Travinski would hit a single to left field, but would be able to advance to second base when the Nicholls left fielder would miss play the ball allowing it to roll to the wall. Stafford would score from first to add another run to LSU's lead, 13-0 after seven. 


   Drew Bianco would extend the Tigers lead again as he would lead off the bottom of the 8th with a solo home run over the left field wall. Nicholls pitcher Beau Balado would manage to get the Tigers out without anymore damage done. We head to the top of the 9th with LSU up 14-0.


“It was a long day today, but a good day,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “We had a very emotional victory in the first game, and you’re always worried about a letdown after a game like that, but we came out like gangbusters in the second game. Landon Marceaux set the tone and pitched outstanding all night, and we hit some homers that gave us an early lead against a pitcher that beat us last year.
 
“With the prevailing wind, there was more of a hitters’ environment here today, and we took advantage of it. I really like the way the middle of our order is shaping up right now, (rightfielder) Dylan Crews is an intimidating force at the top of the lineup, and our hitters are swinging with a lot of confidence.”



   Freshmen Michael Fowler would replace Ma'Khail Hilliard in the top of the 9th to try and finish things off. Fowler would finish the Colonels off quietly and quickly, as LSU wins the ball game, 14-0.
     

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