The LSU Tigers picked up their first big win of the season over the #20 Dallas Baptist Patriots. Freshman phenom Derek Curiel continued to impress scoring 3 times in a 7-3 win in Globe Life Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
LSU got off to a hot start in the top of the first after leadoff man Derek Curiel walked and Jarred Jones laced a double to left center to score the speedy freshman. Right-handed pitcher Ryan Borberg would retire the next three Tigers he faced in order. In the bottom half of the first junior lefty Conner Ware got his second start and made quick work of the Patriots by recording a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts.
Ware continued to mow down batters as he faced the minimum in the second and third innings with a strikeout in each.
The Tigers threatened in the top of the fourth when Louis Hernandez reached base on a fielder’s choice and then advanced to third off of a Jake Brown single to centerfield. Michael Braswell III would strike out looking to end the inning.
In the 5th inning, the Tigers would get the offense going again when DBU brought in Liam Watt to replace Borberg on the bump. Watt would get Chris Stanfield to groundout then walked Curiel who would be moved to third off of a Jones single up the middle, before being scored off an Ethan Frey double to left-center. Daniel Dickinson would follow Frey with a two-run shot to left field to give the Tigers a 4-0 lead that would close the book on Watt’s night.
DBU would turn to Dillon Haines to try to stop the bleeding in the fifth. Haines issued a walk to Milam. Two batters later Josh Pearson would single in Milam from third to make it 5-1. Jenkins would strikeout Stanfield to end the frame.
Ware would have his no-hit bid broken up in the bottom of the fifth due to a solo homer off the bat of Grant Jay to left field.
Zack Cowan would come in to relieve Ware. Ware’s final line was 4.0 IP 1 H 1 R 6 K 0 BB.
Cowan would run into some trouble of his own when Joey Nerat reached on a Jones error at first base, followed by a two-run homer to left-center from Jake Bennet to make it 5-3.
LSU would push across two more runs in the 6th off of RBI from Dickinson and Hernandez to make it 7-3.
LSU would miss out on a chance to add to their tally in the top of the eighth with bases loaded with no outs but would strikeout twice and fly out to end their turn at the plate.
In the bottom of the 8th Zack Cowan was pulled for Cooper Williams. Williams walked the only two batters he faced before being pulled for Casan Evans. Evans would work out of the jam with some help from a Jones unassisted double play to keep the Patriots off the board.
Evans would return for the 9th and put up a 1-2-3 9th with two K’s to secure a 7-3 victory for the Tigers.
BIG NUMBER: 13
The LSU pitching staff combined for a total of 13 strikeouts against the DBU Offense. Connor Ware led the pitching staff with 6 k’s and Zack Cowan recorded 5.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Derek Curiel
The freshman went 2-3 and reached base in 5 of his 6 at-bats in his first game against a top-20 opponent. Curiel got his batting average up to a team leading .438 in the 7-3 win over DBU.
UP NEXT: LSU will head across town to Frisco to take on Kansas State this Friday in the Frisco College Baseball Classic at Riders Field. First pitch is at 2 p.m. and can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.
