LSU freshman right-hander Alex Lange struck out the first two batters he faced.
If Lange felt nervous about making his first collegiate start, the hard-throwing rookie didn’t show it.
Lange struck out seven batters in five innings of work, and the No. 2 Tigers (2-0) held off a late rally to topple Kansas (0-2) for the second straight game, 8-5, Saturday afternoon in Alex Box Stadium.
In his debut, Lange gave up two hits and walked one batter, but the Jayhawks were unable to score a run against the freshman pitcher. After the game, LSU coach Paul Mainieri raved about Lange’s first outing in a Tiger uniform.

“How about that performance [from Lange]?” Mainieri said. “He was really outstanding, wasn’t he? You couldn’t tell it was his first-career start.”
Lange (1-0) retired the first four batters he faced before walking senior outfielder Dakota Smith in the top of the second. Smith reached second base on a steal, but Lange fanned the next two Jayhawks at the plate to get out of the inning.
Lange struck out three more Kansas batters over his final three innings of work before LSU senior southpaw Kyle Bouman relieved him to start the sixth. Lange said it was hard to put into words his emotions after recording his first-collegiate victory.

“I don’t think it’s really describable honestly,” Lange said. “I just went out there and tried to play baseball. I’ll remember this moment forever. It was a great experience for me. It was a lot of fun. A lot of emotions right now.”
With Lange stifling Kansas’ bats, the Tigers provided him with plenty of run support in the fifth inning. LSU racked up seven runs on seven hits in an explosive fifth after entering the inning with a slim 1-0 lead.
After a single from LSU junior shortstop Alex Bregman moved sophomore second baseman Kramer Robertson to third, senior first baseman Conner Hale drove in both runners with a double down the left field line.
Kansas junior southpaw Ben Krauth (0-1) was taken out after Hale’s two-run RBI double, finishing with four earned runs on six hits and two walks. 
Hale moved to third after a wild pitch from Kansas freshman right-hander Ryan Ralston before scoring on a passed ball, giving the Tigers a 4-0 lead and a wealth of confidence at the plate.
“It just gives confidence to the entire team seeing a few guys get hits,” Bregman said. “Once the team gets going, it’s pretty hard to stop.”

LSU scored four more runs in the fifth, including two on a single up the middle from sophomore third baseman Danny Zardon. But Hale popped out four batters later with the bases loaded to end the high-scoring inning.
But once Lange was taken out with the Tigers up 8-0, Kansas slowly chipped away. LSU’s bullpen surrendered five runs on eight hits in four innings of work, turning the blowout into a much tighter contest.
The Jayhawks scored four runs on Bouman in the sixth and seventh innings, including junior infielder Tommy Mirabelli’s three-run homer down the right field line.
Mainieri replaced Bouman with senior right-hander Alden Cartwright after the seventh-inning homer. After giving up a double, Cartwright retired three straight batters to maintain LSU’s 8-4 advantage.
“I thought Cartwright came in and did a terrific job to stop the bleeding in the [seventh] even though he gave up a double to the first batter he faced,” Mainieri said. “He pitched out of it and got a big strikeout with a runner on third base.”
LSU freshman right-hander Austin Bain replaced Cartwright for the final two innings, but he didn’t get through his first outing on the mound without a little bit of a scare.
Bain gave up two extra-base hits with one away in the eighth, and the second drove in Kansas senior outfielder Connor McKay from third to pull the Jayhawks within three runs heading into the ninth.
After two Kansas runners advanced to second and third on a wild pitch with one out in the ninth, Bain worked through the jam and got the final two outs of the game. Mainieri said it was a lesson for Bain that only experience could teach.
“You have to let these kids go through this,” Mainieri said. “It’s hard on the coaches’ stomachs, I promise you. My heart was beating pretty fast. But these are the experiences these kids have to get so they can be good at them later on.”
The Tigers and Jayhawks will conclude their season-opening series at 1 p.m. Sunday in Alex Box Stadium. LSU freshman right-hander Jake Godfrey will make his debut on the mound against Kansas sophomore righty Sean Rackoski.