The lineup for Game One of LSU’s doubleheader Wednesday was released about an hour before first pitch. To accompany freshman Javen Coleman on the mound, the order would feature five more first year players: Dylan Crews, Tre’ Morgan, Brody Drost, Will Safford and Jordan Thompson. 

Game One got started how most LSU games have this season, with Crews showing us why the comparisons to LSU greats of old aren’t a case of unreachable expectations. Unlike most games though, it wasn’t his bat but his arm that made fan’s jaws drop. He threw out the Nicholls leadoff hitter, who reached on a walk, trying to go from first base to third on a single. Tigers starter Javen Coleman got some more help from his defense in the first inning of his first career start when catcher Jake Wyeth stopped an attempting base stealer from reaching second. 

After allowing a walk and a single in the first inning, Coleman’s early jitters stayed with him into the second. The freshman walked two of the first three batters he faced. Later in the inning, a double over the head of Crews in right field brought both of them home and gave the Colenols an early 2-0 lead. Blake Money came in to get the final out of the inning, ending Coleman’s day after just 1.2 innings pitched. 

“I hated to not have a longer leash on Javen,” coach Paul Mainieri said. “But with the wind blowing in, I didn’t want to get in too much of a hole. If you’re down four, five runs with the wind blowing in your kids start to press.” 

Offensively, LSU was kept quiet through three innings. They hit the ball hard, but failed to find the open areas of the field. 

Quite the opposite could be said for Money, who powered through the Nicholls lineup in relief. He produced soft contact throughout his appearance, getting the majority of his outs via ground balls and pop flies. Describing his approach on the mound, he said he was “just attacking.” 

“Forcing weak contact allows you to get out of innings quicker and keep you in the game longer,” Money said. 

Drost got the scoring started for the Tigers with a solo home run, his second of the season, to lead off the bottom half of the fourth inning. 

“That home run broke the ice for us,” Mainieri said. 

Cade Beloso followed up Drost with a double to the left-center gap, and Gavin Dugas followed up Beloso with another double. Dugas’ went over the head of the centerfielder and off the wall, scoring Beloso and erasing the Nicholls lead entirely to tie the game at two. 

Crews gave LSU the lead in the fifth inning with a 418-foot solo home run to left-center field. With two outs, Drost smacked a double for his second extra base hit of the game, but was stranded to end the inning. 
As LSU’s offense exploded, Money’s strong day on the mound continued. Since entering with two outs in the second inning, he had completed 4.1 innings of scoreless work. He left the mound for the final time after closing out the sixth inning, ending with four strikeouts, no walks and just two hits allowed on 50 pitches. 

“I just wanted to keep my team in the game and give them an opportunity to come back like they did,” Money said. “We got a great offense. I was very confident.”

“Blake was key to the game,” Mainieri said. “He held them at bay and allowed us to get back in it.” 

Shortly after his walk to the dugout, Money left and rejoined his fellow pitchers in the Tigers bullpen, earning high-fives and pats on the back along the way before taking a seat on the wooden bench down the right field line. 

“It feels really good to come off the mound in between innings and all your guys are there to pick you up,” Money said. “It gives you a lot of drive to go out there and keep doing your thing.”

After a scoreless seventh inning from Aaron George, Garrett Edwards allowed the tying run to score with one out in the eighth. He issued a leadoff walk, and the runner came around to score after a sacrifice bunt and a single to centerfield. Drew Bianco turned an unassisted double play to end the inning.

Morgan led off the bottom of the eighth with a double, and reached third base on a Nicholls throwing error getting the ball in. After a pitching change, Drost gave LSU the lead right back. His fly ball deep into center field allowed Morgan to tag and score to put the Tigers ahead 4-3. 

Devin Fontenot, coming off a blown save in his last outing Saturday, came on to close the game out in the ninth with a one run lead. After allowing a leadoff single, he retired the next two batters on a groundout and a strikeout. With two outs, he gave up a base hit to shallow center field, allowing the tying run to score and giving Fontenot his second consecutive blown save. 

In the bottom of the ninth, Zach Arnold reached base on a one-out infield single, and Hayden Travinski, pinch hitting for Thompson, and Crews both walked to load the bases for Morgan. Morgan sent a fly ball into the left field corner, deep enough for Arnold to tag and score from third to give LSU the 5-4 win in Game One. 

You wouldn’t find as many freshmen in the Game Two lineup, just four this time, but again a freshman made the start on the mound and one would again be the first out of the bullpen. Will Hellmers got the contest started with a three up, three down first inning. 

“He set the tone early,” Mainieri said. 

In the bottom of the inning, Crews nearly homered again but fell just feet short, bouncing a ball off the wall in right field for a leadoff double. After stealing third base, he scored on a passed ball for LSU’s first run of the game. Two hit by pitches and three walks later, and LSU scored two more. Hellmers had to go to the bullpen and throw a few pitches to stay warm during the long innings. 

“It’s difficult to stay warm,” Hellmers said. “But it’s something you have to do. You can’t go back out there cold.” 

Coming back out for the second inning, the Tigers offense picked up where they left off in the first. Crews led the inning off with a walk, stole second and reached third on a throwing error. With two out in the inning, a pair of RBI singles from Travinski and Dugas extended the LSU lead to five, and Dugas scored from second base after Southern’s left fielder dropped an Arnold fly ball. LSU had just completed back-to-back three run innings to begin the game.  

Meanwhile, Hellmers continued to dominate on the mound. He finished with five scoreless innings pitched and gave up two hits, struck out six and threw 42 of his 54 pitches for strikes. 

“That’s exactly what we need and expect out of him,” Mainieri said.

LSU added eight runs to the scoreboard between the fourth and sixth innings. Morgan, Arnold and Crews all hit solo home runs, Maurice Hampton Jr. hit an RBI double, Collier Crandford brought in Hampton on a single, and Thompson hit a three-run home run. It increased LSU’s season home run total to 21 through nine games, with 11 of them coming from freshmen. Braden Doughty capped off the night with a two RBI double in the eighth, his first hit of the season. 

Southern scored their first run of the game in the eighth inning on a bases loaded RBI single off Brandon Kaminer. The scoring was halted before it could get any worse, and LSU ultimately won Game Two 16-1 to improve to 8-1. 

Between the two wins, freshmen were responsible for 13 of the 18 innings pitched and nine of the 19 runs batted in. They did everything from break the ice, bring in winning runs and shut down opposing offenses. With so many examples to choose from this season, Wednesday may have been the day where LSU’s freshmen not only shined the brightest, but were relied on the most. 

“This class is unreal,” Money said. “It says a lot about our class being able to come in and perform right away.”

“Morgan, Crews, Drost, those are special kids,” Mainieri said. “I believe they’re going to lead us to the promised land.”