Behind power-hitting excellence between two of its stars, LSU baseball was able to erase an early deficit and cruise to victory against Southern on Tuesday.
The Tigers run-ruled their crosstown foes, 16-6, in seven innings, in what still managed to be a marathon of a game. A pair of rain delays, one that lasted just over 30 minutes before first pitch and one that lasted around 90 during the game, tacked just over two hours onto the game time.
The Tigers faced an early hole, but were able to climb out of it by out-slugging the Jaguars. Shortstop Steven Milam and center fielder Derek Curiel were chiefly responsible for sparking the scoring outburst that would be LSU’s saving grace.
“I think some guys have kind of liberated themselves from external things,” head coach Jay Johnson said about the motive behind the hitting success. “We’re seeing the best version of a few guys.”
Milam roped a pair of homers at critical junctures and picked up three hits on the night, and Curiel hit a grand slam that altered the complexion of the ballgame.
LSU would find itself down 3-0 as it entered the bottom of the second inning. It’d chip back at Southern’s lead through Milam. Batting from the right side, he pulled his first home run of the evening with two outs, a solo shot to left to make it 3-1.
“I’m just looking to hit balls hard,” Milam said about his approach, which at times has resulted in unlucky outs but took a turn for the better on Tuesday. “At the end of the day, they’ll fall, or they’ll leave the yard.”
In the third, an even more timely response from the offense was in order. Southern had posted three runs in the inning after left fielder Chris Stanfield had a lapse in focus trying to haul in a routine out. That drop turned what would have been an inning-ending out into a 6-1 Southern lead.
That large deficit wouldn’t last long. After a walk, a hit batter and an error loaded the bases, LSU’s Curiel cleared the bases, hitting a grand slam into the student section to make it a one-run game.
“Stanfield has done so much for this program,” Milam said. “We picked him up; he’s picked us up multiple times.”
Curiel’s long ball continues a showcase of the power tool for one of the nation’s top prospects; It was his third homer of the month and second in as many games.
“He’s hitting that stride,” Johnson said about Curiel’s recent showings. “That’s really good for us.”
After a shutdown fourth inning from Danny Lachenmayer, Milam would show up clutch again. This time batting from the left side, he roped a leadoff home run off the right field video board to level the game at six.
“We’ve been blessed to have [Milam] here now for three years,” Johnson said. “He had some really big hits on offense, big nights, like tonight.”
Milam’s power surge brought about lightning in the area, which parlayed with showers in Baton Rouge, causing the night’s second rain delay.
An hour and 13 minutes after the Milam homer, the LSU bats would pick up where they left off.
The Tigers posted six more runs in the inning and left the inning leading 12-6. Third baseman John Pearson deposited a home run over the stands in left field for a two-run homer that served as the inning’s punctuation.
LSU would extend the lead in the fifth inning. The Tigers excelled in moving the line, scoring four runs in the inning without recording an extra base hit. The lead swelled to 16-6 as a result, and put the game in the range of being called early.
Two scoreless Southern frames later, and the run-rule victory would be complete.
The win pushes LSU to its 20th win of the season in its 30th game. Tuesday’s game marks the end of its longest homestand of the season; The Tigers will now head to Knoxville to face Tennessee.
