It only took two innings to know Wake Forest’s fate was doomed on opening night.
The LSU baseball team (1-0) scored six runs in each of the first two innings and drilled the Demon Deacons (0-1), 15-4, running its streak of season opening wins to 10.
“For an opening game I’m not sure we could have played much better,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri.
Junior outfielder Mikie Mahtook smacked two home runs in the game, his third two-dinger game in his career.
“You don’t go up there trying to hit another home run,” Mahtook said. “I was just trying to put a good swing on it and get a base hit and I was fortunate enough for both of them to get out,” he said.”
Sophomore right fielder Mason Katz hit two doubles and drove in three runs in his first home start before freshman Spencer Ware took his place in the fifth inning and delivered with an RBI single in his first career Tiger at bat.
“You always wait to get that first hit out of the way so you can settle down after that, and it was good to get the early one out in the first at bat,” Katz said.
Junior shortstop Austin Nola scored three runs and was the only Tiger with three hits, including two doubles.
LSU knocked out Wake Forest junior pitcher Austin Stadler after three innings. He gave up 13 runs but only seven were earned.
Wake Forest had three errors, including one in each of freshman catcher Ty Ross’ first two at-bats, which brought in three total runs.
Mainieri’s decision to switch freshman JaCoby Jones to second base and junior Tyler Hanover to third base paid off, as the 6-foot-3 Jones made a leaping catch in the top of the third and added two hits and an RBI at the plate.
Senior pitcher Ben Alsup threw five straight balls to start the game but worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the first inning and settled down the rest of the way, surrendering only one unearned run in five innings.
“Alsup struggled there in the first inning and things were looking a little shaky and then he just dug deep and pitched in the clutch,” Mainieri said. “It really set the tone for the night.”
Freshman pitcher Nick Rumbelow gave up three earned runs in three innings and sophomore Kevin Berry threw a scoreless ninth inning.
The actual attendance of 10,055 was the highest in school history.
LSU will play Wake Forest again tomorrow at 2 p.m.