For the first time since 1953, LSU gave up six plus runs in each of its first three games and lost the rubber match to Notre Dame on Sunday, 11-3.
The Tiger bats started off slow for the third consecutive game with the first six batters of the day sitting down without a baserunner. Senior Beau Jordan wanted LSU to come out and put the hurt on Notre Dame early offensively.
It was his brother, Bryce, who did the first bit of damage with a single up the middle to start the third followed by a walk to Beau, putting LSU in position at first and second with no outs.  A sac-bunt followed by a sac-fly was able bring Bryce home from third base to give LSU the 1-0 advantage.
Other than the Jordan brothers and second baseman Brandt Broussard, the Tigers offense was nowhere to be found with the first six batters going a combined 0-for-20.
“They outplayed us and we got to get together and figure this out,” Beau said. “I told everybody out there, LSU has a legacy and weekends like this is not what LSU baseball is about.”
LSU went with Todd Peterson on the mound who faced added pressure after the struggle by starting pitcher’s earlier in the series. Peterson made quick work of the Irish in the first few innings, sitting down five of the first six batters he faced.
Peterson’s struggles came in the fourth where he walked two batters in the inning followed by Eric Gilgenbach plastering a pitch over the right center field wall to put the Irish in front 3-1.
Peterson was replaced in the fifth inning by freshman DH Daniel Cabrera and finished with a statline of four hits, three runs, four walks and three strikeouts.
It was a forgettable week for the LSU pitching staff as a whole with the combination of Gilbert, Hess and Peterson posting a 13.50 ERA.
“This whole weekend we were totally outclassed,” LSU coach Paul Mainieri said. “It’s hard for me to find a lot of positive things we did the whole weekend. It became clear very quickly that there are a lot of things we have to improve in.”
Beau added to his hot start by blasting a double to left field to open the fifth. With the bases loaded later in the inning, first baseman Nick Webre hit into a double play that brought Beau home making it a 3-2 ball game.
Notre Dame broke the game open in the sixth with three more runs that all came with two outs remaining in the inning.
The seventh inning began with a bang with Beau turning on a fastball and knocking it over the left field wall. LSU later in the inning had runners on first and second with two outs and sophomore center fielder Zach Watson at the plate. It was an opportunity lost as Watson would fly out to left field.
LSU will have to regroup and prepare for a midweek game on Wednesday against UNO at 6:30 p.m. at Alex Box.