Junior Alex Lange displayed why he was a first round pick in the 2017 MLB draft in Friday’s 3-1 victory against Oregon State.
Lange pitched 7⅓ innings, giving up two hits, one run and four walks on 115 pitches with eight strikeouts. The win gives Lange No. 30 on his career, and with 406 career strikeouts he is now four away from being LSU’s all-time leader in that category.
“We’ve been here before, backs against the wall, elimination game in Omaha,” Lange said. “This is my second time pitching in that situation. I had a sense of calmness about me this morning when I woke up and getting to the yard. I was expecting to be amped up and juiced up; I was calm and relaxed.
Lange was helped out by a bad call from the umpire in the third inning when a hit from Oregon State’s Steven Kwan was ruled a foul ball. The ball hit off the wall and likely would’ve scored two runs to tie the game. Instead, Kwan popped up in shallow center field for an out. The Beavers would wind up scoring its one and only run of the game in the inning.
Prior to that call, LSU was able to put two runs on board in the top of the second inning after a leadoff double by junior outfielder Greg Deichmann and a single from freshman outfielder Zach Watson. Both of the runners scored in the inning, Deichmann on a single by freshman third baseman Josh Smith and Watson on a sac bunt from junior DH Beau Jordan.
Smith would add the third run of the day on a solo home run in the seventh inning.
The trio of freshman in LSU’s lineup — Watson, Smith and first baseman Jake Slaughter — combined for six of the Tigers’ seven hits in the game and two walks.
“I don’t think there’s any stage that’s too big for them,” Mainieri said. “I think they’re all very level-headed kids that are bright. They love the game. They take on to coaching. And they believe in themselves and they go out there and perform and it’s a wonderful thing to see.”
With Lange suppressing the Oregon State bats into the eighth inning, Mainieri turned to freshman Zack Hess to pick up the final five outs. ‘Psycho’ Hess would strike out four of the five batters he faced on 23 pitches.
The Tigers will face Oregon State in a winner-take-all game three on Saturday. The winner moves on to the National Championship.
It was obviously a great win for our team,” Mainieri said. “We get to play another day. Should be a tremendous ballgame tomorrow that we’re all looking forward to.”
Mainieri has said he will entrust sophomore Caleb Gilbert with the start. Gilbert came on in relief for freshman Eric Walker in the Tigers’ 13-1 loss to Oregon State on Monday. Gilbert struck out four of the first 10 batters he saw before a crucial error by senior Kramer Robertson in the fifth inning. Gilbert was pulled after 2⅔ innings after giving four hits, two unearned runs and two walks on 68 pitches.
