LSU freshman pitcher Aaron Nola was solid in his first weekend start in two weeks, and the No. 5 Tigers (30-7) coasted after scoring early against Alabama (13-23) to secure the series sweep with a 5-1 win at Alex Box Stadium on Sunday.
The Tigers have won 13 of their last 14 games, and dominated the Crimson Tide batters throughout the entire series, holding them to just 13 hits in the three contests.
It was Nola’s turn Sunday, as he breezed through five relatively comfortable innings in his first Sunday start since he left the Arkansas series finale in the seventh inning with discomfort in his shoulder.
LSU scored four runs in the first two innings to give Nola some breathing room after he allowed a solo home run to Alabama shortstop Jared Reaves in the first inning.
“If we get up and we jump on guys early, we know our pitching staff is as good as any in the country,” said junior outfielder Arby Fields “It’s easier for them pitching with the lead.”
The offense was paced again by junior outfielder Raph Rhymes (2-for-4) and Fields (3-for-4, 2 RBIs). The two tore Alabama pitching to pieces in the series, combining to go 7-for-14 with six runs scored and seven RBIs.
The Tigers kept pace with Kentucky for first place in the Southeastern Conference, with both teams now sporting an 11-4 SEC record after the weekend’s games.
LSU returns to the diamond Wednesday against Lamar, before traveling to Lexington, Ky., to battle Kentucky for SEC supremacy.
“Any time you can get three wins this big on one weekend you take them and look forward to the next weekend,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “We’ve got a big [series] next weekend, it ought to be a lot of fun.”
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Contact Luke Johnson at [email protected]