LSU baseball defeated Nicholls 9-0 in Alex Box Stadium, winning the first of nine consecutive home games.
It was a slow and tedious game for both teams, but LSU walked away with the win thanks to solidity on defense.
Freshman Kade Anderson started on the mound for the purple and gold, pitching for four innings and tallying two strikeouts while at the rubber.
Following Anderson, Christian Little took the mound, keeping the Colonels scoreless in two innings of work. Sam Dutton followed suit, pitching a scoreless two innings before Justin Loer entered for an inning.
Thatcher Hurd closed the win, pitching the final inning of the game.
READ MORE: LSU baseball snags its first series win against Missouri
The pitching staff had their best performers behind them, with the defense inside the diamond putting on a show while keeping Nicholls at bay.
Michael Braswell III and Steven Milam put on a defensive clinic, making play after play to help their teammates on the mound.
Braswell looked like the defensive star of the night, capping off an impressive performance at shortstop with back-to-back pick and throws across the diamond. The South Carolina transfer looked confident on defense, making long strides from previous outings at shortstop.
The LSU defense kept Nicholls scoreless, and the offense capitalized, earning the majority of their runs from a home run derby in Baton Rouge.
Of LSU’s nine runs, seven came from home runs. Josh Pearson, Jared Jones, Tommy White and Milam all registered solo homers of their own, and White grabbed a second home run with a three-run dinger into left field to cap off LSU’s scoring.
Jones’ homer brings his total to 18 on the season, leading the Tigers, but White is catching up with 15 total. The pair have emerged from the rest of the pack as LSU’s best extra base hitters, often being the main source of the Tigers’ offensive production.
A series of loaded base walks brought in the other two runs on the night for LSU, all of which began with a leadoff double from Braswell in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Braswell has improved at the plate since the beginning of the season, bringing his batting average to .302 after starting the year in an offensive drought.
The shortstop transfer has battled his fair share of doubt from LSU fans, but his confidence has steadily improved alongside his play as the season continues.
Tonight’s win at home marks the first of nine consecutive home games for the Tigers, who stay in Baton Rouge to take on Auburn in a series this weekend.
LSU recorded their first SEC series win last weekend, traveling to Columbus to beat the Missouri Tigers 2-1.
The purple and gold still remain just outside of qualification for the SEC Tournament, but last weekend’s win, on top of the midweek win tonight, could build the momentum necessary for the Tigers to turn their season around before the postseason begins.
