When No. 3 LSU travelled to Tuscaloosa, Ala. for a three-game series against the Crimson Tide, the Tigers wanted quality starting pitching, and sophomore right-hander Aaron Nola (6-0) provided it in a 5-0 victory.

Nola, who tossed a complete game in his previous outing against Arkansas, looked to keep the momentum swinging in the right direction when he took the mound on Friday night.

The result was a complete game shutout, as he held the Tide (23-17, 8-8 Southeastern Conference) to three hits and recorded 10 strikeouts.

“[Nola has] been amazing,” said LSU head coach Paul Mainieri. “It’s pretty hard to lose when your pitcher pitches a three-hit shutout. It makes up for a lot of the mistakes you make during the course of the game. Just watching the growth of the guy is amazing to watch. He has always been a strike-throwing machine, but now he throws a little bit harder, his curveball is a little tighter and his changeup is deceptive.” 

Meanwhile, the Tigers (36-3, 14-2 SEC) offense provided all the backing Nola needed, as the squad pounded out 11 hits. Senior left fielder Raph Rhymes led off the scoring with a two-RBI triple in the top of the first inning, and freshman center fielder Mark Laird and sophomore right fielder Chris Sciambra would each knock in a run a piece.

Rhymes finished with a single, a double and a triple in the contest, but he was hit by a pitch in his final at bat, leaving the cycle to be hit another day. The senior also finished with three RBIs.

The Tigers will battle the Crimson Tide on Saturday at 7 p.m., as LSU will send junior starter Ryan Eades (7-1) to the mound to try and rebound from his first loss of the 2013 campaign against Arkansas.