LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri figured his Tigers would be in store for a closer game than the fans and his team alike thought would take place coming into Friday night’s opening night game against Centenary.As is typical of Mainieri with anything dealing with prophecy, he hit the nail on the head.After a lengthy pregame celebration that relived all the glory from last season’s national championship team, LSU’s home opener lacked many offensive fireworks that fans may have been accustomed to from last year. But the Tigers escaped with a 5-4 victory in front of 9,914 fans, an LSU baseball attendance record, marking the team’s ninth-straight season opening victory.”I told everybody that this is Centenary’s best them they have ever had,” Mainieri said. “I talked to their coach before the game, and he was very confident. He told me that this is his best team. I think more than anything, the kids’ nerves got to them a little bit tonight. We have been swinging the bats so well leading up to this game.”The Tigers held a 4-1 lead heading into the top of the seventh inning on cruise control until LSU junior reliever Daniel Bradshaw gave up a pair of runs in the seventh and a solo home run by Centenary left fielder Cliff Shepard in the eighth to tie the game at four.LSU would get back the lead in the bottom of the eighth, though, thanks to a sacrifice fly by LSU sophomore shortstop Austin Nola that scored sophomore left fielder Trey Watkins.But that run was only part of the story for Watkins, who in the first inning dropped a can of corn pop fly with two outs that allowed Centenary to take a 1-0 lead early.He atoned in the bottom of the inning, getting hit by pitch, stealing second, and eventually scoring on a pair of ground outs.Watkins, who finished with three runs scored, said the error in the first inning was “mental” and motivated him to be more cautious the remainder of the game.”I knew I had to come out and bounce back,” Watkins said.Although Bradshaw would get the win while sophomore closer Matty Ott got the save, it was junior right-hander Anthony Ranaudo who was the stud on the night for LSU. He started for LSU and went five innings while allowing a hit and one unearned run. He struck out six and walked two.Ranaudo didn’t give up a hit the first time through the Centenary lineup, though he did allow a run while striking out four. “I was just knocking some rust off early,” Ranaudo said. “It was good to get back out here, and after the first two innings I settled in.”The Tigers took a 2-1 lead in the third on a Nola single through the left side of the infield to score Watkins. It was LSU’s first hit of the game.LSU capitalized on a two-out error by Centenary first baseman Tell Ross in the fourth to score a pair of runs and take a 4-1 lead.The first run came on a two out single to left field by sophomore right fielder Mikie Mahtook to score junior center fielder Leon Landry, who initially reached base on the two-out error.Mahtook scored on a double to deep right-center field by senior designated hitter Matt Gaudet.
 
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