LSU baseball began its first road trip of the season today, defeating Rice 16-4 before it moves on to the Astros Foundation Classic this weekend.
The Tigers showcased their offensive production again following their impressive 18-10 rematch win against Stony Brook last Sunday.
Last weekend, the Tigers struggled in some games, showing inconsistent numbers on offense. Today, it seems the purple and gold have found a good rhythm at the plate.
Brady Neal was the leader at the plate for LSU, tallying two home runs as the starting catcher. Neal blasted his first homer over the right-center field fence for a two-run home run.
His second home run came in the top of the seventh inning, knocking in three runs with a blast into the scoreboard over right field.
Neal wasn’t the only player cashing in some runs for the Tigers. Tommy White grabbed three RBIs, hitting a single with bases loaded in the top of the third inning and a double in the top of the seventh inning.
White has made big moments count when he takes the plate. In recent games, the preseason All-American has seemingly been converting a large amount of loaded base opportunities with singles and doubles. White is currently hitting .343 on the season.
Steven Milam stayed at second base once again for the Tigers, putting up another stellar performance in his first collegiate away game. The New Mexico native recorded two more hits to go alongside his solid defensive performance.
Paxton Kling continued his success at the plate from last game versus Stony Brook, hitting 0.500 today. Kling registered one hit on two at bats alongside four runs batted in, two hit by pitches and a walk.
The sophomore center fielder started the season struggling at the plate, but he has raised his batting average to 0.409 on the season.
Another bright spot in tonight’s game, LSU cleaned up its bullpen mistakes from the weekend. The Tiger defense performed well in Houston, keeping the Owls to only four runs.
Kade Anderson started the game for the Tigers, pitching five innings with seven strikeouts and three runs. The freshman put on an impressive performance, with none of the three runs scored on his watch being earned.
DJ Primeaux followed Anderson, pitching for only a third of an inning, allowing three hits and Rice’s only earned run of the evening.
From here, the LSU bullpen took over the game. Sam Dutton, Nic Bronzini and Will Hellmers each pitched an inning of their own, tallying two strikeouts each and concluding the game without any more runs.
The Tigers displayed a dominant performance for their first away game of the season. Their true test comes Friday when they take on their first ranked opponent in No. 15 Texas at Minute Maid Park.
LSU will follow with Saturday’s game against UL-Lafayette and Sunday’s game against Texas State.
