LSU defeated UL-Lafayette 5-4 in its second game at the Astros Foundation Classic. Saturday’s game was the second win in a row on the road following the Tigers’ 6-3 ranked victory over No. 15 Texas.
Defense was the name of the game for both teams, as LSU and ULL struggled at the plate. The Tigers have proven they can win blowouts and close games, with today’s match being the latter.
Gage Jump started on the mound for the Tigers, marking his second start on the mound this season. It was difficult to follow up Holman’s impressive 12 strikeout performance yesterday, but Jump proved his talent in the five innings he pitched.
With five strikeouts and no walks, Jump kept the Ragin Cajuns to only one hit and no runs in his time on the rubber. Returning from Tommy Johns surgery has been hard for the UCLA transfer, but Jump continues to excel with the chances coach Jay Johnson is giving him.
For the first four innings, ULL went three up, three down through 12 straight batters while Jump was at the wheel.
Unfortunately for LSU, its offense was losing its fight at the plate.
The first four innings were hitless for the Tigers until Tommy White put LSU on the board for hits with a single to load the bases. Jake Brown scored shortly after on a wild pitch from ULL pitcher Andrew Herrmann.
Hayden Travinski followed with a two RBI single to bring in Kling and White, and Jared Jones brought Travinski in on an RBI double of his own to conclude the four runs the Tigers scored in the bottom of the fifth.
Travinski wasn’t done on the day though, grabbing the fifth and final run of the day for LSU with a solo home run deep into the left field stands in the seventh inning.
Griffin Herring replaced Jump on the mound to start the sixth inning, sparking some offense from ULL. The Ragin Cajuns made it a one-run game with Herring on the mound, thanks to a three-run homerun from Duncan Pastore.
Gavin Guidry entered the game in relief immediately after, pitching for an inning and grabbing three strikeouts.
Justin Loer finished the game, replacing Guidry in the seventh and grabbing four strikeouts of his own. The Ragin Cajuns tallied a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth in an attempt to mount a last-ditch comeback, but Loer closed the game shortly after.
The victory concluded as a closer game than LSU would have liked, but it once again battled until the end to secure the win. The Tigers move to 10-1 on the season, and they will finish the Astros Foundation Classic against Texas State.
Texas State is also undefeated on the weekend though, including a win over No. 15 Texas. The Bobcats are an underrated opponent for LSU’s final game, and they could ruin the Tigers’ perfect weekend.
