When LSU traveled to Metairie for the Wally Pontiff Jr. Classic against Southern University, Tigers coach Paul Mainieri decided to go with a new-look lineup and give some of the regular starters a day off.

Sean McMullen, who found himself in right field against Kentucky, played the designated hitter role, while Tyler Moore, Andrew Stevenson and Michael Barash all started at third base, center field and catcher respectively.

The usual bench players responded to the limelight well, as Stevenson hit a two-RBI infield single in the bottom of the first inning and Barash roped an RBI single to LF to give LSU an early 5-0 lead.

Barash finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Moore and Stevenson both recorded a hit.

“Overall, I got everybody in the game that I wanted to, and they all played pretty well,” Mainieri said. “Everybody chipped in a little bit here and there.”

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LSU freshman shortstop Alex Bregman has stated before that he doesn’t like to think about his hitting streak at the plate, but after starting Tuesday’s contest 0-for-1 with a flyout and a hit by pitch, the pressure began to mount as the possibility of going hitless drew closer.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, though, Bregman put any worrying aside as he launched a three-run triple, his sixth of the season and fifth during his now 21-game hitting streak, into the left-center field gap to give the Tigers an 8-2 lead.

“I kept it alive,” Bregman said. “My approach was look for a fastball and hit it hard. I got what I wanted to see, and I saw it up in the zone so I tried to just stay on top of it. I was fortunate enough to put a good swing on it.”

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It took 33 games for freshman right-hander Mitch Sewald to take the mound in a Tigers uniform, but he went to the mound at Zephyr Field and pitched effectively in his first appearance of his career.

Sewald, who is renowned for his post-game inspirational speeches, was the final Tiger on the roster who hadn’t played in a game. That all changed on Tuesday night during the Wally Pontiff Jr. Classic, as the lanky underclassman finally got the opportunity to display his talents to LSU fans.

Sewald surrendered two hits, but he recorded a strikeout in two scoreless innings of work.

 “He’s been throwing pretty good, and [LSU pitching coach Alan Dunn] has been working with him every day, and I just see progress being made,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “It was good for him to get out there for the first time in his home town here in Zephyr Stadium. I’m sure he’s pretty amped up, and I thought he did a nice job.”