LAFAYETTE — Earlier this week, LSU coach Paul Mainieri acknowledged he would re-evaluate the Sunday starting spot if sophomore southpaw Cody Glenn “threw a gem” against the University of Louisiana Lafayette on Wednesday at Tigue Moore Field.
Mainieri got his gem, and then some.
Glenn fired seven shutout innings, surrendering only three hits while freshman shortstop Alex Bregman paced an offensive outburst as the Tigers (7-1) dismantled ULL (7-2) 11-2.
“I thought Cody was absolutely phenomenal,” Mainieri said. “He’s made huge strides and [pitching coach Alan Dunn] has always believed in him … today he was absolutely outstanding.”
The Houston native didn’t reach a three-ball count on a Ragin’ Cajun hitter until the sixth inning and made numerous defensive plays, fielding four grounders off the mound, including one to start a 1-4-3 double play in the second.
Glenn said his go-to fastball and changeup were on point all evening and even mixed in a slurve on left-handed hitters that kept the Cajuns guessing.
“From the time I woke up, I felt great,” Glenn said. “I was able to just fill up the zone. My two-seams had a little more life and they just kept rolling over my fastball.”
After six groundouts ended the first inning, the Tigers began a streak of six straight innings with a run as senior left fielder Raph Rhymes led off the second with a stand-up double.
Cajun starter Kody Smith responded by plunking Tiger senior first baseman Mason Katz and allowing a single to junior second baseman JaCoby Jones, loading the bases with no outs.
An errant relay throw on a double play attempt from Cajun second baseman Jace Conrad plated both Tiger seniors, giving LSU a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
Junior third baseman Christian Ibarra ripped a stand-up double to begin the third inning, which led to a one-out walk to freshman right fielder Mark Laird.
Bregman followed with his first collegiate home run, a well-struck line drive to dead center field, scoring all three Tigers and ending Smith’s outing after just two-and-one-third innings.
“It’s something else,” Bregman said. “Those guys in front of me got on base and allowed me to get a pitch to hit, and I’m thankful to them for that.”
With a 5-0 lead, the game was virtually in hand for LSU with Glenn on the rubber, as he only allowed one hit through his final three innings of work as the LSU defense made stop after stop to keep the hometown Cajuns off the scoreboard.
“He was pounding the zone, especially with a free-swinging team like that,” said junior catcher Ty Ross. “That’s the best I’ve seen [Glenn] pitch since he’s been here.”
Sophomore designated hitter Tyler Moore, inserted in the fourth inning after ULL went to its bullpen for a right-hander, was a home run short of the cycle in only five innings of work, driving in three runs to help push the LSU lead to 11-0.
In relief of Glenn, junior righty Nick Rumbelow got his first action of the season after an oblique strain derailed his pre-season, allowing one hit in the eighth inning.
The Cajuns showed signs of life in the ninth, tagging Tiger senior Joey Bourgeois for two runs on three hits with only two LSU starters still in the contest.
Mainieri, who said his team lives to strive for perfection even though it’s unattainable, gushed over his team’s first road performance in front of 3,790 boisterous Cajun fans.
“Tonight we played about as perfect as we could,” Mainieri said.
