After a series loss against South Carolina this past weekend, No. 3 LSU batters found their swagger as they pounded 15 hits and raked in seven runs in a 7-3 win against McNeese State on Tuesday in Alex Box Stadium.
Junior third baseman Christian Ibarra and junior second baseman JaCoby Jones led the Tigers (40-6, 16-5 Southeastern Conference) with three runs apiece. Ibarra knocked a solo home run off a fastball into the left field stands in the second inning.
Ibarra then hit a single that set a five-hit, four-run sixth inning in motion. Ibarra, Jones, junior catcher Ty Ross, sophomore right fielder Jared Foster and freshman shortstop Alex Bregman all hit singles in the sixth off McNeese (20-22) relief pitcher Steven O’Bryant.
“All of us felt really comfortable at the plate today,” Ibarra said. “We were just loose, and we were hitting the ball really solid. There were no weak hits.”
Both Jones and freshman outfielder Mark Laird extended their hitting streaks to four games. Foster extended his hitting streak to five games and junior designated hitter Sean McMullen extended his to eight games.
“There were a lot of really good swings against their left-handed pitcher,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “I thought Mark Laird swung the bat extremely well. Bregman had a couple of really good swings as did Katz. There was just a lot of good stuff.”
Senior first baseman Mason Katz saw his own personal accomplishment as he accrued his 61st RBI of the season, his first in 11 games.
“They were joking with me when I got on first. Coach asked me if I wanted to keep the ball,” Katz laughed. “Coach Mainieri did that all the way from the dugout, made me feel special.”
Seven LSU pitchers saw time Tuesday — starting freshman Hunter Newman, juniors Will LaMarche, Nate Fury, Nick Rumbelow, freshman Mitch Sewald and Taylor Butler and senior Kevin Berry.
Though he originally planned to start sophomore southpaw Cody Glenn on the mound, Mainieri decided to pitch Butler instead and save Glenn for Thursday’s game against Florida.
LaMarche pitched the fourth and fifth innings, allowing one hit, throwing three strikeouts and showing none of the control issues that have plagued him this season. LaMarche has a season ERA of 4.19, the highest on the team. But Tuesday, he said he came to the mound with a mindset to relax and enjoy the game.
“That’s something I’ve been battling with, but today I just got real clear that I needed to have fun,” LaMarche said.
LSU will face Florida in a three-game series starting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday night in Alex Box Stadium.
