Junior RHP Alex Lange received praise from his teammates and his head coach following his 12-strikeout performance against Maryland
LSU won the series opener against the Terrapins 6-1 at Alex Box Stadium on Friday.
The Tigers led 3-1 until the bottom of the eighth inning, when junior catcher Michael Papierski hit a three-run home run to seal the victory for LSU. However, Papierski was quick to heap praise on his starting pitcher.
“He’s unbelievable,” Papierski said. “He was locked in [tonight] and made the pitches he had to make.”
Lange pitched six innings, struck 12 batters out, and allowed only one earned run on six hits. He posted a 0.82 ERA and threw 88 pitches in his effort, which is at the top of Head Coach Paul Mainieri’s ideal pitch count for him.
“We are starting to extend him a little bit more,” Mainieri said. “I wanted 80-85. He went 88… I thought he set the tone for the night.”
Great pitching makes the rest of the defense’s job easier, including senior shortstop Kramer Robertson, who also had kind words to say about Lange’s performance on the mound.
“It’s fun being behind him when he’s dialed in like that,” Robertson said. “I feel blessed to play shortstop behind such an incredible pitcher.”
Lange’s winning decision leads LSU to 5-1 on the season with their only loss coming to the University of New Orleans. 
Maryland will look to revive hope to win the series in the second game on Saturday. The loss on Friday moves the Terrapins to 1-3 on the season.
Will the Tigers win the series, sweep, or will the Terrapins pulls off a series comeback? First pitch for the second game will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Alex Box Stadium.