LSU defeated Northern Illinois in a scoring fiesta for the Tigers, scoring 10 runs to Northern Illinois’ two.
Some doubts rose as the Tigers struggled to put significant scores on the board against Central Arkansas last weekend, but after Thursday’s performance, the Tigers look like a scoring machine.
It was a home run derby in Baton Rouge Thursday with four different players sending shots over the outfield wall.
Michael Braswell III put the Tigers on the board first, hitting a home run over left center field for his first home run in purple and gold. The shortstop struggled in LSU’s opening weekend, tallying a .143 batting average before today’s game.
Braswell led the team in batting average during the fall scrimmages, but he started the season in a slump. His home run became only his fourth in college, but it may be a turnaround point for the South Carolina transfer.
Centerfielder Paxton Kling followed Braswell with a home run of his own, blasting a shot into the scoreboard to extend LSU’s lead to 4-1. Kling was another player who struggled at the plate during opening weekend, recording a .182 batting average in three games.
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More home runs came in the fourth inning, with Tommy White tallying his first home run of the season. “Tommy Tanks” became a sensation for LSU fans last year, helping lead the team to its national championship win with his famous walk off home run over Wake Forest in the College World Series.
The All-American third baseman became one of the most talented hitters in the country last year, and his home run today starts his tally for this season.
The final two home runs of the game both came from veteran Josh Pearson. Pearson returned to second base against the Huskies, replacing freshman phenom Steven Milam for the day.
Pearson’s first home run followed White’s in the fourth inning, blasting a two-run dinger into the student section over the right field wall, extending LSU’s lead 9-2.
The West Monroe native sent another rocket into the center field board to cap off LSU’s scoring, finishing the score at 10-2 for the win.
“Josh, Michael, Paxton, Tommy; I liked how balanced they were. They were ready to hit the mistakes, and they did,” coach Jay Johnson said postgame.
The offense put on a cushion for the pitchers on the day, allowing for them to play without pressure and keep Northern Illinois to two runs.
Pitcher Gage Jump earned his first start on the mound for the Tigers, performing well through his two innings of work. Johnson kept the UCLA transfer to 50 pitches, but Jump recorded four strikeouts and allowed zero runs before retiring for the day.
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Nate Ackenhausen replaced Jump at the rubber in relief, putting up an impressive performance in three innings, recording six strikeouts and allowing one run while at the mound.
“I have such a high bar for Nate, and it’s just because I trust him so much. He pitched himself into trouble and out of trouble really well,” Johnson said.
Aiden Moffett and Micah Bucknam finished out the game for the Tigers, allowing the Huskies’ final run to make the score 10-2.
The day was captivated by the five home runs, proving the Tigers still have the offensive firepower from last year.
LSU returns to play on Friday, taking on Stony Brook at Alex Box for game two of the four game weekend.
