If there was any questions about LSU’s freshman class, they’ve been answered.
With freshman pitcher Eric Walker starting on the mound for the Tigers (3-0), LSU defeated Air Force 10-3 in the final day of opening weekend.
“I’m so happy that our ball club played so well for three ball games,” coach Paul Mainieri said. “I really thought they played terrific. Eric Walker for the most part pitched great and most of our guys in the pen threw great. I thought he [Walker] was pretty good for his first time out there I thought our team played extremely well, especially for the opening week when you never know what you’re going to get out of them.”
In the top of the fourth inning Army got out to a 2-0 lead, putting LSU behind its opponent for the first time all weekend.
Not for long, however.
In the bottom of the fourth, senior shortstop Kramer Robertson led off with a single to right field. Junior right fielder Greg Deichmann followed it up with his second home run in two days, tying the game up 2-2.
The freshmen stepped up next.
First baseman Jake Slaughter singled to right field and moved to second base after junior left fielder Beau Jordan grounded out to third base. Junior catcher Michael Papierski singled to third base, and Slaughter advanced to put runners on the corners for LSU.
Freshman third baseman Josh Smith belted a home run to right field and the Tigers went ahead 5-2.
Senior second baseman Freeman doubled to left field and eventually came home to score off of a wild pitch from Air Force’s Jacob Devreis. LSU entered the fifth inning with a 6-2 lead over the Falcons.
Mainieri had high praise for both Slaughter and Smith.
“There’s a few guys that you come across that love the game as much as Jake Slaughter,” Mainieri said. “He’s got a lot of Bregman in him. He’s the first guy at the field everyday, he can’t get enough work, and he can’t sit still. It’s always come pretty easy to Josh Smith because he’s such a talented and skilled player. I’m just trying to make him understand that it takes more than that to succeed at this level.”
Freeman doubled down on Mainieri’s approval.
“The biggest thing was the way our freshman played,” Freeman said. “Smith and Slaughter were tremendous. I’m really excited just to see what they can do and how much better they can get. They’re going to build off of this and get better and better.”
The Tigers made a pitching change in the top of the sixth inning, bringing in freshman Zack Hess to see his first action with LSU.
Walker (1-0) finished the game with two hits, one earned run, one walk, and six strikeouts. Walker threw 72 pitches, 48 being strikes, and fanned the first 10 batters he faced on Sunday.
Hess took out the first two batters he faced, but Air Force’s Tyler Jones sent a home run off the foul pole into left field to make it 6-3.
Smith was walked in the bottom of the sixth inning, and came home to score off of a single to left from Freeman to stretch LSU’s lead to 7-3. An RBI single from Slaughter in the seventh inning brung in Robertson to put the Tigers ahead 8-3.
Robertson’s two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning to break the game open 10-3.
Freshman Todd Peterson, junior Doug Norman, and senior Hunter Newman each pitched an inning after Hess, combining for no hits, earned runs, and had four strikeouts.
“I thought Todd Peterson was outstanding, and I thought Doug Norman was even better than that,” Mainieri said.
LSU now heads to New Orleans on Tuesday to face the University of New Orleans Privateers at 6:30 p.m.
