After the LSU offense exploded for 20 runs in its first two games against No. 7 Kentucky, the Tigers hitters decided to keep the trend going in an 11-4 rout of the Wildcats on Sunday afternoon.
The No. 3 Tigers (30-2, 11-1 Southeastern Conference) scored early and often in two victories against the Wildcats (22-9, 6-6 SEC) Friday and Saturday, but Kentucky was the squad to draw first blood in the series finale as an RBI single by sophomore third baseman Max Kuhn gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
It wasn’t long before LSU took control, though.
A two-RBI triple by freshman shortstop Alex Bregman, a sacrifice fly by senior first baseman Mason Katz and a two-run home run that sailed out of Alex Box Stadium off the bat of junior second baseman JaCoby Jones gave the Tigers a 5-1 lead, and they never looked back.
“I don’t think [there is a weak spot in the lineup],” Katz said. “Even if somebody goes into a slump, the rest of the guys pick them up. When JaCoby and Ty were in their slumps, the rest of the lineup did a good job of picking them up. I really don’t think there is a weak spot.”
The Tigers’ offense put 11 runs on the board before the day came to a close, as Bregman, Katz, Jones and junior third baseman Christian Ibarra accounted for all 11 RBIs.
The 11-1 record in SEC play is the program’s best start against conference competition since 1997. Jones believes this squad trumps any he’s ever seen.
“This is probably the best team I’ve ever seen or played on, and I played on three state championship [teams] in high school, and we were dominant, but this is something special,” Jones said. “We’ve got great chemistry on the team, our pitching staff is great and we’ve got a lot of good hitters. This is just a real special team.”
The Tigers also got a boost from the pitching staff, as sophomore southpaw Cody Glenn improved to 5-1 after tossing six innings of one-run baseball and recording one strikeout. Glenn, who had difficulty on the road against Missouri only a weekend prior, needed an impressive outing to maintain his status in the weekend rotation.
“I thought Cody was fantastic, and he really rose to the occasion,” LSU coach Paul Mainieri said. “I felt that he was throwing the ball with much more conviction [during the week] and much more aggressiveness, and I thought he pitched that way today. I was really pleased with the way he was throwing.”
Glenn has had significantly more success against SEC competition in Alex Box, recording both of his conference victories at home.
“I felt confident today,” Glenn said. “I love playing here at Alex Box with the crowd roaring and everything. I felt comfortable and relaxed. I felt good. It’s easy to feel comfortable here with 10,000 people cheering for you, especially with the run support we’ve been getting. I just had to go out there and fill up the zone, do my job and let my defense work for me.”
