The story of David and Goliath ends with David defeating Goliath, but in Tuesday’s battle between LSU and Grambling State that wasn’t the case.
LSU entered the midweek matchup fresh off two victories in a single day against No. 5 Arkansas. Grambling State came into the game with a mediocre 9-14 record. LSU also boasts the reigning national player of the week and SEC player of the week, centerfielder Dylan Crews.
LSU baseball’s numbers speak for themself. The Tigers currently rank No. 1 in the nation in several categories. They lead the nation in fielding percentage with .989, runs scored with 261, shutouts pitched with seven and in hits allowed per nine innings with 5.72. The Tigers also rank second in the country in on base percentage with an impressive .460 average and scoring average with 10.9 runs per game.
Grambling State started the game with senior left-handed pitcher Jacorey Boudreaux. LSU went with Vanderbilt transfer and junior right-hander Christian Little, his 10th appearance of the season.
In the first inning, junior left fielder Tre’ Morgan put the first run on the board with an RBI single up the middle that scored second baseman Gavin Dugas. LSU added another run in the second inning when freshman Jared Jones tagged up on a fly out from Dugas.
As most underdogs are accustomed to, Grambling State did not go down without a fight. The visiting Tigers took the lead in the third inning against junior right hander Blake Money who had just relieved Little on the mound.
Sophomore centerfielder Terry Burrell III singled, moved to second base on a sacrifice and then stole third base. Money walked one and then junior third baseman Cameron Bufford smacked a three-run home run into the bleachers.
LSU’s offense responded immediately with a five-run rally. Crews singled to left field and then third baseman Tommy White singled as well. The next batter, senior designated hitter Cade Beloso lined a three-run home run, his third of the season, into the right field bleachers and gave LSU the lead back.
Jones followed that home run with a solo home run of his own, his eighth of the season. Junior catcher Alex Milazzo completed the rally with an RBI single that scored shortstop Jordan Thompson.
The score board read 7-3 after three innings of play.
Goliath put the finishing touches on David in the fourth inning. LSU’s offense combined for eight runs in a single inning against Grambling State’s junior left-handed reliever Ethan Bates. Grambling State’s first two pitchers allowed 14 hits and 15 runs and did not throw a single strikeout. Starter Boudreaux was charged with his second loss of the season.
LSU’s starter Little fired 37 pitches in two innings and only allowed one hit with four strikeouts. LSU’s reliever Money was credited with the win after he threw 48 pitches in two innings although he did allow two hits and three runs.
The trio of sophomore Samuel Dutton, junior Bryce Collins and freshman Micah Bucknam closed out the final innings of the game for LSU. They threw 55 pitches with six strikeouts and allowed two runs on four hits.
LSU took its foot off the gas pedal in the second half of the ball game and subbed multiple reserve players in. The final score read 17-5.
“I’m very proud of our team,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “You start getting into this middle point of the season with midweek games in between conference series, and sometimes as a coach you have to worry about the mindset of your team – I never have to worry about that with these guys. They showed up today ready to work and took care of business tonight, and now we’re moving on to the weekend.”
The projected top pick in the upcoming MLB draft, Crews, extended his hit streak to 24 games when he went 2 for 2 at the plate and scored two runs. Crews leads the nation in batting average, on-base percentage and in runs scored.
LSU baseball will remain in Baton Rouge this weekend for a three-game series against the No. 10 Tennessee Volunteers. The Tigers have dropped the last six meetings against the Volunteers. In 2018, the last time these teams met in Baton Rouge, LSU swept the series.
