When the day started, all the talk was about Auburn ace Casey Wize. That talk was quickly silenced by the performance of LSU’s freshman pitcher Eric Walker.

Walker, whose individual performance overshadowed those of LSU batters and the nostalgia of senior day, entered Saturday’s game with an ERA above four, and had won five of his six credited games on season.

The pitcher shined on the mound, and did not allow a hit until Sam Gillikin hit a solo home run in the eighth. Walker struck out three batters and gave up three walks on 98 pitches.

“He put a good swing on it, and it got enough to get out,” Walker said regarding the only hit he allowed. “It’s a part of baseball, it just felt really good to get a win.”

Walker was helped by strong offensive play from LSU and shoddy defense by Auburn. Junior catcher Michael Papierski came through for the Tigers for the second straight game, and hit another two-run home run to right field. The catcher ended the series with five RBI’s, and boosted his batting average to .241.

“I just thought he threw with an awful lot of confidence today,” Coach Paul Mainieri said. “He went out there and hit his spots.”
With the series sweep completed, the Tigers return to the Box on Tuesday in their regular season home finale against Northwestern State at 6:30 p.m.