With Southeastern Conference play rapidly approaching, LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri was worried about weather forcing postponements of both midweek games this week, concerned his simmering club would cool down.
While Wednesday’s contest with McNeese State had to be rescheduled to April 12, Mainieri and his No. 6 Tigers (10-2) can prepare for Ball State this weekend with a quality midweek win in their back pocket.
On a damp Tuesday night at Alex Box Stadium, an aggressive LSU offense struck early against Louisiana Tech senior ace Tyler Clancy, picking up five of its six runs in the second and third innings to help clinch a 6-3 victory.
Clancy (3-1), a left-hander who is normally the Bulldogs’ (8-4) Friday night starter, allowed a combined two earned runs in midweek wins against then-No. 6 Louisiana-Lafayette on Feb. 24 and then-No. 12 Arkansas on March 2. Coming in with a 1.00 ERA and 16 strikeouts, the Louisiana Tech hurler’s abilities weren’t lost on LSU during its preparation.
“I thought our guys did a tremendous job,” Mainieri said. “He’s legit – a three-pitch-mix guy. I thought our guys had a tremendous approach. We had some really good at-bats.”
Though he worked around a one-out single in the top of the first, the LSU bats jumped on Clancy in the second and third frames. After junior designated hitter Jordan Romero drew a walk with one out in the bottom of the second, sophomore first baseman Greg Deichmann ripped a two-out double into right field, plating Romero from second base.
One batter later, freshman third baseman O’Neal Lochridge traded places with Deichmann, belting a run-scoring double into the left-center field gap.
“We knew [Clancy] was going to be a strike thrower because he only has a couple of walks in however many innings he has,” Deichmann said. “We knew we were going to get a mix of fastball, slider and changeup. We were kind of being patient early to see what he has and feeling him out. Ultimately, we were able to jump on the fastball.”
But the Tigers continued to rev the offensive engine in the bottom of third. Junior shortstop Kramer Robertson led off the frame with single into left field and advanced into scoring position on junior center fielder Jake Fraley’s walk.
Then, an RBI-double from sophomore left fielder Beau Jordan, an RBI-fielder’s choice from Romero and blooping RBI-double from sophomore catcher Michael Papierski padded LSU’s lead to 5-0. The Tigers’ three-run third inning chased Clancy from the game with five earned runs to his name. Tuesday’s win also marked the seventh-straight game LSU notched double digit hits.
Deichmann and Jordan said ungraduate assistant coach Brent Bonvillain and student manager Joe McCarthy, both left handers, helped simulate in batting practice what Clancy would bring to the game.
“[McCarthy] is like Randy Johnson when he’s throwing [batting practice],” Jordan said. “He gets us ready more than anybody … It’s harder facing him than some of the lefties that we face.”
Meanwhile, junior right-hander Alden Cartwright gave LSU the solid start Mainieri requested, assuming inclement weather may interrupt the game.
With help from some standout defensive plays, Cartwright retired the first nine batters he faced. Junior second baseman Cole Freeman’s backhand stab in the top of first and Fraley’s catch against the wall in center field allowed the third-year pitcher to enter the fourth with no damage done.
Cartwright found himself in trouble in the top of the fourth, conceding a walk before recording the first two outs of the inning. However, a walk and an RBI-single plated Louisiana Tech’s first run, forcing Mainieri to go to his bullpen.
Although junior right-handed reliever Parker Bugg allowed free passes to the first two hitters he faced, bringing home the Bulldogs’ second run, he induced a fly out to escape the two-out jam.
Sophomore right-hander Austin Bain, who struggled in his first two appearances of the season, came in after Bugg and was productive in a three-inning stint. He allowed just one run on three hits while striking out four. With Bain mostly rolling through the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, LSU added its sixth run on Jordan’s sacrifice fly in the fifth.
After Bain, sophomore right-hander Jesse Stalling and freshman right-hander Caleb Gilbert slammed the door on the Bulldogs in the final two frames.
“That’s what you call a team effort right there,” Cartwright said. “Everybody came in. Everybody did their job. A lot of guys got a lot of opportunities, and we came out with the win.”