It started ugly and ended uglier for the No. 17 LSU baseball team Saturday night.
LSU’s pitching staff was battered and dismantled by Ole Miss for 18 hits as the Tigers fell, 16-3, equaling the most runs LSU has ever given up in a game in coach Paul Mainieri’s tenure.
“If you’re around long enough there’s going to be nights like this, and it’s tough,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “They’re tough to accept. It wasn’t any fun to watch I’m sure from the stands and from the press box.”
The damage started against freshman Kevin Gausman, who gave up six runs and six hits in 2.1 innings. It marked the second-straight weekend he pitched less than three innings in a start after pitching at least 5 2/3 innings in each of his first five starts.
“I think my confidence is down a little bit, but I’ll come back,” Gausman said. “I’ll be fine.”
The second inning has been especially cruel to Gausman. He was roughed up for six runs in the second inning against Georgia last weekend and four runs tonight.
“Kevin is struggling right now with his command, especially his secondary pitches,” Mainieri said. “They’re sitting on fastballs and he’s not locating his fastballs very well.”
The rest of the pitching staff didn’t fair much better.
Ole Miss added nine runs on eight hits in the seventh inning off sophomore Jimmy Dykstra and freshman Samuel Peterson to stretch its insurmountable lead to 16-2 before senior Daniel Bradshaw tossed the last two outs of the inning.
Ole Miss junior pitcher David Goforth allowed two runs in six innings for his first win in seven starts this season.
“He threw hard last year, but everything was really straight,” Mainieri said. “Now nothing’s straight.”
One of LSU’s few timely hits came on a solo home run belted to right field by junior first baseman Grant Dozar in the third inning with the Tigers trailing, 6-0, at the time.
The other Tiger RBI went to sophomore Beau Didier, who poked a pinch-hit single to right field in the sixth inning which cut the Rebels’ lead to 7-2.
The rubber game is  tomorrow at 1 p.m. CT.
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Contact Rowan Kavner at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @TDR_Kavner