After a record-breaking weekend of attendance at Alex Box Stadium, LSU baseball secured its 25th win of the season in dominant fashion.
LSU’s record was 24-4 entering Tuesday night’s matchup with the Colonels. This is its best record through 28 games since 2013 when the Tigers were 26-2 at the halfway point of the season. Nicholls entered the mid-week contest with a respectable 17-13 record.
The game got off to an unexpected start. Senior third baseman Austin Cain put the Colonels ahead in the second inning with an RBI double.
In the third inning, LSU responded with a five-run rally highlighted by sophomore third baseman Tommy White’s three-RBI home run, which is his ninth of the season. White led the Tigers to victory as he went 2 for 4 on the night with two home runs, five RBIs and two runs scored.
White now has 10 home runs and 50 RBIs on the season.
Second baseman Gavin Dugas and designated hitter Jared Jones did their part in the win. Dugas went 3 for 3 at the plate with three RBIs and one run scored. Out of four attempts, Jones only had one hit, blasting a solo home run deep into the night sky over the left field bleachers to extend the Tigers’ lead.
The biggest takeaway from the run-rule victory is the pitching on both sides. LSU used six different arms in seven innings, while the Colonels threw eight.
“I knew we would need to play well to win this game, because Nicholls has strong program and is in first place in their conference,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “We needed some guys to step up on the mound, and I couldn’t be more excited about what the pitchers did tonight.”
Freshman right-hander Gavin Guidry was credited with the win, his first of the season. Guidry fired 22 total pitches in 1.1 innings with three strikeouts and finished with a solid 1.93 ERA.
“Gavin Guidry was the story of the game,” Johnson said. “He came into the game against one of their best hitters, got a big-time strikeout to end the inning and then followed with a clean inning. That was outstanding; Gavin has a unique pitch mix that we can really use on our staff.”
Nicholls’ freshman right-hander Cole Poirrier was charged with the loss. Poirrier threw only 10 pitches with two walks and two runs allowed.
Junior center fielder Dylan Crews extended his on-base streak to 33 games; however, he was unable to extend his hitting streak past 26 games. Crews finished the game 0 for 2 with two walks.
LSU baseball will travel to Columbia, South Carolina, this weekend for a three-game series against South Carolina. Game one is set to begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
