LSU sophomore left fielder Beau Jordan hit a grand slam in the top of the seventh inning to power LSU to a 9-5 win against Missouri on Saturday afternoon at Taylor Stadium.
With the four-score bomb, LSU maintained a perfect 10-0 record versus the Southeastern Conference foe all time.
“This was another hard-fought victory,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri in a news release, “and I’m very proud of the way our hitters competed against one of the best pitchers in the country.”
Despite falling to LSU (24-11, 8-6 SEC) for the tenth time, Missouri (20-17, 4-10 SEC) did not make it easy for LSU in a back-and-forth game until the seventh.
As LSU expected, Missouri sophomore pitcher Tanner Houck started on the mound in emphatic fashion, as Houck retired LSU’s first three batters.
However, LSU was able to get on the scoreboard first when Beau Jordan knocked an RBI single in the top of the first inning, which lended LSU a 1-0 lead.
Missouri was able to answer in the bottom of the third when sophomore pitcher Alex Lange allowed an RBI single of his own and a walk with the bases loaded to put Missouri up 2-1.
Lange, though, hurled for 6.2 innings and 110 pitches, while also tossing six strikeouts in a four-earned run outing.
“Alex really battled throughout his outing and put us in a position to win,” Mainieri said. “I know he was excited to be pitching in his home state for the first time as a college player, and he delivered the type of performance we needed to win this series.”
LSU freshman third baseman Chris Reid equalized the game in the top of the fourth inning with another run-scoring single in the top of the fourth. Freshman rightfielder Antoine Duplantis followed within an RBI triple to close the top of the fourth with a two run Tiger lead.
Sophomore catcher Brett Bond, however, brought Missouri back into the game with a home run in the leadoff spot bottom of the fourth and sophomore leftfielder Trey Harris tied it at four with a lead off home run in the bottom of the fifth.
“We finally broke it open with Beau’s grand slam in the seventh,” Mainieri said.
After getting an out to start the inning, Houck allowed two singles and a walk to load the bases before walking sophomore Bryce Jordan to put LSU ahead, 5-4. Houck was pulled for redshirt freshman righty Liam Carter after the sequence.
Carter tossed a ball in his first pitch to Beau Jordan. On his second pitch, Beau Jordan pummeled the ball past the fence for his first grand slam for LSU to put LSU up, 9-4.
LSU bottomed Missouri, holding it scoreless in the bottom of the seventh and eighth, but allowed one run in bottom of the ninth.
Houck allowed eight earned runs on Saturday, which, before the game, he had permitted only 15 earned runs for the entire season.
LSU will play Missouri 1 p.m. tomorrow, and will aim to earn its first sweep of the season in SEC play.