When LSU battled Tulane at Turchin Stadium on March 25, the Tigers searched desperately for an offensive spark in an 11-inning loss.
That spark was found early and often in a rematch on Tuesday night in the form of freshman Jake Fraley, as the Tigers’ left fielder carried LSU to a 6-0 win against the Green Wave.
Back in late March, LSU (31-10-1, 10-7-1 Southeastern Conference) only mustered two runs on five hits in 11 innings. It only took the Tigers three innings to eclipse both totals in the rematch in Alex Box Stadium.
The offensive outburst began in the bottom of the second inning after senior designated hitter Sean McMullen led off with a double to the wall in left field. Sophomore shortstop Alex Bregman followed with a single to right field that clipped Tulane freshman second baseman Jake Willsey’s glove to put runners on first and third with no outs.
Fraley then roped an RBI single to left field to put the Tigers ahead 1-0.
The Middletown, Del., native struck again one inning later.
Sophomore outfielders Andrew Stevenson and Mark Laird led off the bottom of the third with two singles. After recording two outs, Tulane redshirt senior right-hander Tyler Mapes pitched around Bregman to get to the young Fraley.
With the bases loaded, Fraley stroked a two-run single to right field to give LSU a 3-0 lead.
“They kind of pitched around [Bregman] to get to me,” Fraley said. “In my mind, I kind of pissed myself off to get up there and just look for a fastball. He gave it to me, and I made the most of it.”
In the top half of the fourth, Fraley decided to showcase his defensive ability, recording the second out of the inning with a diving catch on a sinking line drive to left field.
It was a complete performance by a freshman whose play over the past few weeks forced LSU coach Paul Mainieri to place him in the everyday lineup. Fraley finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs.
“It’s huge that he has the confidence to put me in … and to be able to play a little more than I have been,” Fraley said. “It’s huge for my confidence, and whenever he gives me opportunities, I’m going to make the most of it.”
McMullen, Laird and Stevenson all had RBIs of their own in the fourth and sixth innings.
“That was one of our best offensive nights of the year in my opinion,” Mainieri said. “We had a lot of quality at-bats, and I thought we battled really hard. I’m just really proud of the way the guys came to play tonight.”
On the mound, LSU junior left-hander Kyle Bouman held down the Green Wave, tossing 4 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball before being relieved by fellow junior left-hander Zac Person in the top of the fifth inning.
Bouman allowed three hits while walking two and striking out two on 72 pitches, lowering his season ERA to 2.84.
The Ferguson, Mo., native continues to battle with hopes of returning to the Sunday slot in the weekend rotation after suffering an ankle injury earlier in the season.
“I made a few mistakes here and there, but overall I thought it was pretty inspiring to get out there and go a little deeper into the game,” Bouman said. “It felt great to go up there and put some zeroes on the board.”
Six LSU relievers combined to complete the Tigers’ 13th shutout of the season.
“They kind of pitched around [Bregman] to get to me. In my mind, I kind of pissed myself off to get up there and just look for a fastball. He gave it to me, and I made the most of it.”