Sophomore designated hitter Brayden Jobert and sophomore catcher Hayden Travinski combined for three home runs and seven RBIs to lead LSU to a 19-7 win over Northwestern State on Tuesday night. The game ended after the top of the seventh inning due to the NCAA 10-run rule.
Jobert blasted two home runs and drove in three runs Tuesday, increasing his season total of home runs to 14. Travinski hit his sixth dinger and LSU’s first grand slam of the season. He also doubled off the centerfield wall.
Northwestern State starting pitcher Dawson Flowers was charged with the loss. He surrendered three runs, two earned, on no hits in one inning with no walks and one strikeout. Flowers hit three LSU batters with pitches in the first inning of the game.
Sophomore Bryce Collins started on the mound for the Tigers but gave up three runs on 49 pitches and only pitched two innings. Freshman Samuel Dutton relieved Collins but struggled as well. He allowed three hits and three runs in one inning.
Sophomore Paul Gervase, the third of six LSU pitchers, was credited with the win as he worked 1.1 scoreless innings. Gervase allowed just one hit with one walk and three strikeouts.
LSU’s sophomore first baseman Tre’ Morgan provided two singles that resulted in three RBIs, and senior catcher Tyler McManus also collected three RBIs. Freshman right fielder Josh Pearson, the Tigers’ lead-off hitter, went 0-0 at the plate, not registering a single at-bat. He was hit by a pitch three times, drew two walks, and scored four runs in five plate appearances.
LSU tied the single-game NCAA record for hit-by-pitches. The Tigers were hit in 10 different at-bats by Northwestern State pitchers. LSU batters have been hit 107 times this season, just three shy of the school record of 110 set by the 2000 squad.
“This was an important game for us, we needed to win to put ourselves in the best possible position relative to RPI,” said LSU Head Coach Jay Johnson. “I’m really proud of our team for their response in a game we needed to win, and I feel great about it.”
LSU improved to 34-18 on the year, while Northwestern State dropped to 25-27.
The Tigers will start their final regular season and three-game SEC series on the road against Vanderbilt at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Nashville, Tennessee. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
