Perhaps LSU coach Smoke Laval should consider starting first baseman Will Harris every game.
Harris went 4-for-4 with two RBIs in just his fourth start of the season as the Tigers earned a 6-1 victory over Louisiana-Monroe Tuesday at Indian Field.
The No. 1 Tigers (13-2) jumped out to an early lead in the second inning, when Jon Zeringue and Will Harris scored after Indians’ shortstop Bradley Hoffpauir threw Dustin Weaver’s potential double-play ball into right field. Weaver later scored on J.C. Holt’s double to center field to give LSU a 3-0 lead.
Will Harris, getting the start against ULM southpaw Ryan Schwabe, put the Tigers ahead 4-0 when his one-out single in the third inning brought home his older brother, third baseman Clay Harris.
The Tigers pushed across two more runs in the seventh inning to bring the score to 6-1. Designated hitter Matt Liuzza doubled down the right field line to extend his career-high hit streak to 14 games. He scored on a double by Zeringue, who later scored on the second RBI single by Will Harris.
ULM starter Ryan Schwabe was then relieved by Matt Guillory, who combined with Andrew Burdine to shut out the Tigers for the remainder of the game.
Laval said the younger Harris’s four-hit performance was nothing new for the sophomore from Slidell.
“It’s not a surprise,” said Laval in a postgame interview with Jumbo Sports. “If we can get him more mound experience, he’ll be just as effective pitching as hitting.”
For the season, Will Harris is hitting .529 in 17 at-bats with one home run and four RBIs. He also has a 3.00 ERA in three pitching appearances this season for the Tigers.
LSU freshman pitcher Clay Dirks followed up his four-hit complete game shutout of Tulane last week with another strong outing. The southpaw allowed one run on three hits in 5 and 2/3 innings of work and had six strikeouts.
Dirks, the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association’s Co-Pitcher of the Week and the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week, was unhittable early in the game, striking out five of the first nine batters he faced.
The Indians’ lone run came in the bottom of the fourth, when ULM strung together three-consecutive singles, and third baseman Mario Fillippi scored on Josh Morrison’s fielder’s choice.
Dirks (3-0) then retired the next six batters he faced before giving way to junior reliever Jordan Faircloth in the sixth inning.
Faircloth combined with fellow Alexandria High School alumnus Greg Smith to shut out the Indians the rest of the way.
Laval had said coming into the game that the Tigers would use several different pitchers. With a large number of quality starters and relievers, LSU has had trouble this season getting all of its hurlers innings on the mound.
Laval said he does not mind having to try to get his top relievers innings.
“It’s a nice problem to have,” Laval said.
The win improved Laval’s career mark against his former team to 7-0. The Tigers’ skipper coached the Indians from 1994-2000 before coming to LSU as an administrative assistant in 2001.