Alex Box Stadium was in the midst of a back-and-forth battle when the No. 5 Tigers met the in-state rival UNO Privateers. The competition included nine pitchers, 28 hits and eight errors between the two Louisiana teams.
The matchup, which resulted in an 18-10 victory for the Tigers, favored LSU as the team fought their way back offensively, despite six Tiger errors on the night.
“We picked a good game to make so many errors since we put up 18 hits,” said senior second baseman Clay Harris. “We have been sound defensively all season so one game is nothing to get upset about.”
True freshman Eric English started his first collegiate game and experienced another first as a pitcher. English came in to LSU after completing a phenomenal senior high school season in Florida where he gave up two runs the entire season.
Tuesday night the right-hander found himself in an unusual position. English gave up 6 runs in just 3 innings — including a two-run homer in the second — before being relieved by senior right-hander Brandon Nall (0-1). Nall earned his first win on the season after holding the Privateers to only two hits in three innings.
English was one of two true freshmen on the field. Shortstop Michael Hollander also experienced a rocky performance. Hollander committed four of the six errors on the Tiger defense.
“Hollander is never going to make that many errors,” said senior left-fielder Ryan Patterson. “I would rather it be a night like tonight instead of a 2-1 ballgame where an error could cost us a game. I don’t think it is a problem. You have those nights sometimes.”
The New Orleans native from Jesuit High School was in front of the locals for the first time on a collegiate level, but the nerves did not stop him offensively when he blasted his first homerun in an LSU uniform. The solo shot to left field in the third inning gave the Tigers the first lead, which they never surrendered.
Patterson led the team offensively batting 4 for 6 on the night — he finished one single short of hitting a cycle. The senior right-hander added to his .432 average on the season with a double and a triple on the night, but his grand slam in the fifth inning was the game’s highlight. The grandslam was one of four homeruns on the night for the Tigers.
“Mid-week games are good because you don’t want to go five days without a ball game. It keeps you from getting rusty,” Patterson said. “It is always fun to play in-state rivals too like UNO and Tulane. We all know the guys on the team, and that is a lot of fun to do.”
The baseball team has approached many obstacles early in the season with problems such as a lack of offense, but with the problem shifting to the defense, LSU coach Smoke Laval said he is not surprised.
“That’s what I expected in the fall,” Laval said. “[The situation of] not playing tremendous defense but hitting the ball in return.”
Tuesday night’s game ended the Tigers’ four-game homestand. LSU will travel this weekend to the University of Alabama to get back into Southeastern Conference competition.