Mike Bolsinger hosted a clinic from the mound Friday night in Alex Box Stadium.
The Arkansas senior pitcher pitched seven full innings and allowed only two runs in the Razorbacks’ 6-3 series opening win against LSU.
“You’d like to think we’d be able to muster a little bit more than what we did tonight,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “We just didn’t have a lot of great at bats against him.”
The loss marks the third loss in the last five games for the Tigers.
LSU scored first when senior designated hitter Matt Gaudet launched a two-run home run into the right field bleachers in the bottom of the second inning.
Gaudet leads the team in home runs this season with seven.
Arkansas responded shortly thereafter with their biggest inning of the game.
In the top of the fourth inning the Razorbacks used five hits to take the lead.
Two of those hits were two-run home runs – one by junior centerfielder Brett Eibner and the other from junior first baseman Andy Wilkins.
Arkansas would later add some insurance in the eighth inning with Eibner’s second home run.
His fourth round-tripper of the season was a no-doubter that ricocheted off the top of the scoreboard.
LSU would add a run in the ninth inning, but it was too little, too late.
Bolsinger (3-0) was credited with the win for the Razorbacks.
“He sure pitched well,” Mainieri said. “He got his slider over. The slider is pretty good and he threw it for a strike seemed like whenever he wanted.”
Picking up his first loss of the season was LSU junior pitcher Austin Ross.
Ross (2-1) went six complete innings and struck out eight, walked one and gave up eight hits.
“That’s kind of how my season is going – throw the ball really well and then put up a big number in one inning,” Ross said. “It was a little different. It was two home runs. It wasn’t a bunch of singles, but I just got to make those pitches. Those two pitches really affected the ball game.”
—-Contact Johanathan Brooks at [email protected].