LSU coach Paul Mainieri has raved about freshman Tyler Moore in the weeks leading up to the season, and Sunday Moore showed why in a 4-0 victory against Air Force at Alex Box Stadium.
Moore started at catcher and his two-run single in the fourth inning gave LSU a lead it never surrendered. The two RBIs were the first of his short career, after he went 1-for-5 in the first two games of the weekend.
“It’s a dream come true playing in this stadium,” said Moore, a Baton Rouge native.
Moore has the versatility to play both corner infield positions – he started at first base Saturday against Alcorn State – in addition to catching. Mainieri said he expects a lot of contribution from Moore this season.
“I see him doing a lot of things,” Mainieri said. “He’s a good versatile player. You can do a lot of different things with Moore. He’s just a good baseball player.”
The LSU pitchers took the pressure off the offense, which struggled to adjust to soft-throwing lefty Michael Ceci, the Air Force starting pitcher. LSU starter Kurt McCune threw six innings of scoreless ball, allowing just three hits and striking out four.
“I’m definitely satisfied with today’s performance,” McCune said. “I definitely need to improve on my offspeed pitches. But for the line that I had today with my offspeed being where it is, I’m definitely satisfied.”
The bullpen combination of freshman Aaron Nola and sophomore Nick Rumbelow preserved the shutout. Nola struck out two in two hitless innings of work. Rumbelow worked his way out of a bases loaded jam after two errors in the ninth to close out the game for LSU.
“The game was somewhat close there, though it wasn’t really his fault,” Mainieri said. “It created a situation where Rumbelow had to regroup, show some poise and he did.”
Sophomore outfielder Jackson Slaid also contributed offensively, going 3-for-4 from the plate and driving in a run in the eighth inning. Slaid hit .500 on the weekend after only playing in nine games last season.
“I certainly think I was a capable hitter [last year], but I also had a lot of things to work on,” Slaid said. “I did that over the summer and the fall, and I’ve been able to do better.”
The victory moves the Tigers to 3-0 on the season after a weekend sweep in which they outscored their opponents 33-2. LSU returns to action Wednesday against McNeese State in Alex Box Stadium at 3 p.m.
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Contact Hunter Paniagua at [email protected]