This is a huge week for LSU baseball as the Tigers prepare for the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic this weekend. Before going toe-to-toe with Oklahoma, No. 1 Texas, and Baylor, LSU got to warm up with New Orleans at Alex Box Stadium this evening, in which it earned an 11-3 win.
Garrett Edwards got the start on the mound for LSU, and in the first inning, the Privateers scored a run on a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0 headed to the bottom of the first. In that frame, LSU came out swinging and let its starting pitcher know that it had his back.
Tre Morgan reached base on an error, Dylan Crews was hit by a pitch, and Cade Doughty hit an RBI double to score Morgan. A passed ball then scored Crews, and Doughty scored on a Jordan Thompson double play. At the end of the first, LSU led 3-1.
In the top of the second inning, Edwards was pulled from the game after only pitching one inning giving up three hits, two walks, and two earned runs. Grant Taylor came in to pitch for the Tigers and got three quick outs. In the bottom of the second, Gavin Dugas and Alex Milazzo walked leading to a Morgan RBI double followed by a Crews RBI single, and a Doughty RBI groundout scored Morgan to make the score 6-2 LSU.
In the top of the fourth inning, Riley Cooper came in to pitch. Taylor’s final line was two innings pitched, zero hits, zero runs, two walks, and two strikeouts. In the bottom of the fifth, Jacob Berry hit a blast to right field to make it 7-1 Tigers thru five innings.
In the top of the sixth, Bryce Collins came in to pitch for the Tigers. The final line on Cooper was 2.1 innings with zero hits, zero runs, and one strikeout. In the bottom of the seventh, LSU added on to their lead with a Doughty dinger, a Thompson RBI double, a McManus sacrifice fly, and a Morgan RBI single to make it 11-2 Tigers. In the top of the eighth inning, Paul Gervase came in to pitch for the Tigers.
The final line on Collins was 1.2 innings pitched with zero hits, zero runs, and one strikeout. New Orleans scored a run on a fielding error to make it 11-3. In the top of the ninth, Eric Reyzelman came in to finish the game and pitched one inning allowing zero hits, zero runs, and two strikeouts.
Grant Taylor (1-0) got the win and the Tigers were led at the plate by Morgan and Crews who both went 2 for 4.
LSU will begin the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic this Friday afternoon against Oklahoma from Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m CST.
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