Round two of LSU baseball’s Purple and Gold Scrimmage ended with another 4-2 finish Thursday, this time in Gold’s favor.
Amid the cold air and gusting wind, the starting Tiger pitching staffs had solid outings on both ends.
Senior Purple starter Daniel Bradshaw pitched three scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks.
His counterpart, senior Gold starter Ben Alsup, pitched three perfect innings, racking up five strikeouts and only allowing two balls to even leave the infield.
“His three perfect innings were outstanding,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “Not only did he just get good results, but I thought he threw the ball exceptionally well and commanded all his pitches and really was dominant out there.”
The pitcher’s duel remained scoreless through four innings; the Purple squad drew first blood in the fifth.
After two batters were hit by a pitch, junior catcher Jordy Snikeris drove them in on a two-RBI single to left field.
The Gold team responded in the sixth with back-to-back RBI doubles by junior Kirk Cunningham and freshman Kevin Koziol.
The Gold squad would take the lead in the seventh, powered by freshman catcher Tyler Ross.
After two walks by the Purple reliever, Ross drove in two runs on an RBI single in the seventh to secure the victory for the Gold.
The Naples, Fla., native, went 2-for-4 on the afternoon, improving on his 1-for-3 showing yesterday. Through two scrimmages, Ross is 3-for-7 with three RBIs.
With a good defensive outing, Mainieri said Ross will be fighting for a starting role in the lineup this season.
“Tyler [Ross] is going to be probably the key player for us this year,” Mainieri said. “The position that he plays is so critical, and to put a freshman into that job is a big gamble. But I think Tyler can handle it just fine.”
Junior closer Matty Ott came in to close things down for the Gold team, striking out two of the three batters he faced. The Tiger pitching staff as a whole showed signs of potential, chalking up 15 strikeouts in the match but also conceding 12 walks.
“We were pretty pleased,” Mainieri said. “We’ve had a good fall, and now we’re going to have an exciting finish with the rubber match tomorrow.”
 
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Contact Mark Clements at [email protected]