LSU wins its opening day bout against VMI 11-8 in front of over 11,000 fans in Alex Box Stadium.
An exciting day for the Tigers, the first game of the season was filled with action. VMI struggled on the mound throughout the game, headlined by an abnormal amount of hits by pitch.
The first inning was left scoreless for both teams as they warmed into the game, and the bats took off for the Tigers in the bottom of the second. Hayden Travenski and Josh Pearson beat their infield grounders to first, leading up to a three-run homer for Jared Jones into the left field stands.
Mac Bingham and Alex Milazzo hit singles of their own, and Jake Brown loaded the bases after being hit by a pitch, but the Tigers left three on to end the second inning.
LSU added two more runs in the bottom of the third thanks to a Paxton Kling double, which rounded in two runs, but the Keydets weren’t going down without a fight.
Thatcher Hurd allowed four earned runs in the top of the third, including a balk and a handful of hits. Justin Loer replaced him on the mound for the final out.
As the fourth inning began, the rain became a visible issue for the Tigers. Brown slipped in right field when shifting towards a single, and Loer overthrew Jones at first on a pickoff, allowing for Owen Prince to hit a double and bring in the runner.
The Tigers went scoreless in the bottom of the fourth and the fifth, and VMI tallied another in the top of the fifth to take the lead on a Cole Jenkins solo home run.
VMI looked like they were going to give LSU a serious run for its money, but consistent errors from the Keydet pitchers allowed the Tigers to get back into the game.
Kling opened the bottom of the sixth with a hit by pitch. VMI elected to change pitchers to Jaxon Llyod, who then registered a hit by pitch on Brady Neal. Brown was then hit by pitch, loading the bases for Tommy White.
Seeming like a storybook moment for the All-American, White didn’t get a chance to make an impact, as he was also hit by a pitch. Travinski, LSU’s designated hitter, was then hit by pitch to take the lead 7-6.
Kling walked to bring another run in, and Bingham brought in two more with an RBI double, finishing the inning 10-6 for the Tigers.
The eighth inning brought more action as VMI tallied two more runs with Nate Ackenhausen, Gavin Guidry and Sam Dutton all pitching. LSU grabbed one run as well on a Travinski solo bomb to left field.
A scoreless top of the ninth and a foregone bottom of the inning closed out the Tigers’ first win of the season. The surprisingly hard-fought battle was characterized by errors on the mound by VMI.
With eight total hit by pitches, all from Keydet pitchers, half of the runs scored by the Tigers were products of bullpen error.
VMI kept it close with its strength on offense, giving Hurd, Loer, Ackenhausen, Guidry and Dutton trouble before Gage Jump closed in the ninth.
LSU takes on Central Arkansas tomorrow at 1:00 pm for the second game of the season at Alex Box Stadium.
