TIGERS PASS FIRST SEC TEST, WIN SERIES AGAINST AGGIES

Photo By: BVM Sports

Da Boot Sports
3/20/2023
By: David Penn


   COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - #1 LSU (18-2, 2-1) took to the road for it’s first SEC weekend series in College Station to take on the #15 Texas A&M Aggies (14-6, 1-2). The Tigers won the first two games of the series before relinquishing a late lead in game three that allowed the Aggies to avoid being swept at home.

          *FRIDAY* LSU 9 TAMU 0
    Paul Skenes started on the mound for LSU and continued his dominance for the Tigers. Skenes went
6.1 innings for LSU, recording 11 strikeouts while giving up only four hits and no runs or bases on balls.

   Nate Ackenhausen and Christian Little would each pitch 1.1 innings to close out the affair from
the mound. Ackenhausen would allow no runs or hits, walk three batters and strike out three batters. Little would also allow no runs or hits. recording one strike out and no walks.
    On offense, the Tigers got on the scoreboard early, plating two runs in the first and third innings
before exploding for five runs in the top of the ninth to provide the final margin.

   In the first inning Gavin Dugas hit a sac fly to score Tre’ Morgan and Josh Pearson would smash a single into center field that scored Dylan Crews.

   In the third inning Morgan would score again on a wild pitch that got away from the Aggies’ catcher. Tommy White would then collect his first of three RBIs with a single into left field that scored Crews, his second run of the game.
    In the ninth inning the LSU offense would heat all the way up with White poking his second single into center right that scored Morgan and Paxton Kling. Pearson drew a bases loaded walk that scored Crews before Jared Jones added an RBI on a sec fly to center field scoring Ben Nippolt. Alex Milazzo added the final run for the Tigers when he hit a ground ball to the Aggie short stop but allowed Gavin Dugas to score.
    “We want to be a team that can win any type of game,” Johnson said. “When the wind is blowing in, or in
a pitcher’s duel or a slugfest. We executed those nine runs, and the way batting practice was going with the wind blowing in, four runs seemed like 12 tonight.”
    
          *SATURDAY* LSU 12 TAMU 7
   Ty Floyd earned the Saturday start for LSU, but the Aggies were able to touch up the starter for a pair of run in the second and third innings. Floyd pitched 3.1 innings for LSU recording three strikeouts, two walks while allowing five runs on four hits.

   LSU reliever Garret Edwards would come on and earn the win for LSU, striking out five, walking two, and allowing one run on one hit. Riley Cooper and Blake Money would pitch an inning each to close out the night for LSU. The two combined for two strikeouts, one walk, and one run on three hits.
   With LSU down 4-0 to start the fourth inning, the Tiger offense would erupt for 6 runs, taking a 6-4 lead. The Aggies would answer with a run of their own in the home half on the fourth, trimming the lead to 6-5.

   With the bases loaded, Tommy White singled to center scoring Brady Neal and Jordan Thompson.
Gavin Dugas would then single to the left side to score Dylan Crews. Josh Pearson doubled to left to score White.  Jared Jones then singled down the right field line to score Pearson and Dugas.
   Jared Jones smashed a three run shot in the sixth inning into left field that scored White and Dugas.

   The Tigers would strike again in the seventh inning with White bringing Morgan home on a single into center field. Jones completed his night with a two RBI single to left scoring White and Crews, giving Jones an incredible seven RBIs on the evening. TAMU would score one more run in the bottom of the ninth for the games final score. 
   “We had really good plate discipline and really hit mistakes well today,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “Jared is super talented, and his biggest evolution is he’s really improved mentally. Just watching him slow the game down with runners on base gives me a lot of peace of mind. He’s in control of himself, so you know you’re going to get a quality at-bat. When a guy is that big, that strong and that physical, and he’s locked in, the results are going to be really good, and they were really good today.”

          *SUNDAY* LSU 6 TAMU 8
   Thatcher Hurd started the final game of the series for LSU and went 3.1 innings, only surrendering two runs on four hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

   Riley Cooper would come on in the fourth, but exit the game in the fifth inning after giving up a two RBI double being replaced by Chase Shores. Shores pitched into the eighth inning, but after allowing a single, then hitting a batter, LSU coach Jay Johnson would go to the bullpen one more time for Christian Little.
   The Aggies would plate four runs in the eighth to take an 8-6 lead to avoid the sweep.
   The LSU offense started off with a bang, plating four runs in the first inning then another run in the second.
The bats would cool off and the Tigers only plated one more run in the seventh inning.

   Gavin Dugas started the Tigers off in the first inning by drawing a bases-loaded walk scoring Tre’ Morgan. Josh Pearson then hit a single to right scoring Tommy White and Dylan Crews. Jordan Thompson singled to center field to score Dugas.

   In the second inning White would bring in Crews on a single to left field. The final run for LSU was scored when Brady Neal hit the sac fly to left that brought home Pearson.
   “I’m proud of the way our guys prepared and competed over the course of the weekend,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “We played great baseball for the majority of the weekend. We didn’t allow a ton of free bases from the mound, but we did today, and Texas A&M is a good enough team to cash in when that happens.

   The Tigers will play host to Central Arkansas on Tuesday Night in Baton Rouge before moving on to a home series against the #5 Arkansas Razorbacks.

   Skenes leads the nation in strikeouts (59), wins (5), and WHIP (.53).

   Crews leads the nation in on base percentage (.648) and runs scored (37).

   Tommy White leads the nation in RBI per game (2.0).

   The Tigers also lead the nation in runs per game (11.1), shut outs (7), and hits allowed per nine innings (5.62).

​   LSU is second in the nation in fielding percentage (.989) and on base percentage (.466).

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