LSU baseball opened regional play in the NCAA Tournament with a 7-2 win over Tulane on Friday.
The Tigers will face the winner of Oregon State and Sam Houston State in the winner’s bracket of the Baton Rouge Regional. They will take the field on Saturday at 8 p.m. C.T.
Seeing Paul Skenes take the mound on Friday was a surprise to some LSU fans, as it was thought he would pitch in Saturday’s game. But what wasn’t a surprise was the dominance he showed.
Skenes pitched a complete game with 9.0 innings pitched, struck out 12 and gave up two runs on seven hits. He struck out 12 of his 31 batters faced and was still touching 100 miles per hour in the ninth inning.
“I think to be able to go that deep into a game speaks to executing pitches and did a lot better job this week than last week,” Skenes said. “It was really cool to go that deep into a game and we can build off that tomorrow.”
The 6-foot-6 right-handed pitcher is projected to be a Top 5 draft pick in the coming MLB Draft. But who complimented him at the plate will also most likely be a top pick, if not the top pick, in Dylan Crews.
Crews finished three for five with two singles, a double and an RBI.
In fact, Crews was just one hitter that shined for LSU. The Tigers scored seven runs on 11 hits.
“All around, like I said, it was a great performance,” Crews said. “I was going out there, swinging at strikes and taking balls at the end of the day. Trust in my ability, worked hard all week, so like I said, just sticking to my approach and my plan.”
Hayden Travinski stayed hot at the plate going two for three with a double and a single, improving his batting average to .437 and his on-base percentage to .539. Beloso also continued his momentum in the batter’s box going two for three with two singles, and Jordan Thompson went two for three. Tommy White and Gavin Dugas each had a hit on the day.
Following an offensive surge from Tulane to give them an American Athletic Conference Championship with a record of 19-40, the Green Wave was controlled at the plate. It finished with seven hits in the game.
The Green Wave got on the scoreboard in the seventh inning with a two-run home run to right center field from Brennan Lambert. Lambert finished the game going two for three.
“I was just trying to get a fastball, get out over the plate,” Lambert said. “I got a good pitch to hit and the chips fell that way. So it’s pretty special.”
On the mound, Dylan Carmouche got the start for Tulane. He pitched 4.0 innings and gave up six earned runs on nine hits while striking out two.
Coming off of an underachieving performance in the SEC Tournament last week in Hoover, Alabama, the Tigers bounced back in several ways other than the win.
The Tigers’ bullpen didn’t have an opportunity to show themselves due to a stellar outing from Skenes.
Situational hitting was the other primary concern headed into the NCAA Tournament for LSU, and the Tigers proved they are able to execute in high-intensity situations. They even expanded outside their comfort zone.
“Offensively, we executed. We got lead-off guys on,” Johnson said. “Had a number of times where we had three quality at-bats in a row. We were excellent with runners on base.”
Jordan Thompson and Gavin Dugas both laid down sacrifice bunts for LSU to move runners from first and second to second a third. In both those innings, the lead runner was able to score.
Jay Johnson clearly looks to matchups for who he decides to start on the mound. With Tulane coming in with a lot of momentum, Skenes seemed like the necessary option to halt the Green Wave.
Thatcher Hurd or Ty Floyd seems like the most likely options to start in Saturday’s game. Both are right-handed pitchers, so the difference between the two pitchers will be how they’re projected to match up against their opponent. However, Javen Coleman could be an option to start if Johnson chooses to go with a left-handed pitcher.
Regardless, Skenes pitching the entire game in the regional opener is important for LSU long-term. The longer starting pitchers can go in a game, the fewer arms LSU will have to burn in its rotation.
“Having the ability to start the regional off well, put our pitching staff and our bullpen in a good position to have a lot of rest, and go into the second and third days of the regional strong, that was the primary goal of today,” Skenes said. “Obviously to win, but more happy that we’re in a good position the next few days to have all of our arms.”
The Tigers will find out who their next opponent will be once the winner is decided in the Oregon State-Sam Houston State matchup. That game will begin at 7 p.m. C.T.
But the Tigers will take the field under the lights on Saturday at 8 p.m. C.T. from Skip Bertman Field at Alex Box Stadium.
