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LSU keeps the offense roaring in 17-8 win over Bryant

LSU cruised to it’s sixth straight victory Saturday night with a 17-8 dominant performance over Bryant led by Antoine Duplantis’ six RBI’s and career high third homerun of the season.

For the second straight night, Bryant sub-par fielding cost it runs in as early as the first inning. With runners on first and second, Duplantis blasted a line drive to centerfield but Nick Angelini misplayed the ball and let it roll right by him for two runs. Of the 17 runs for the Tigers, 10 were earned due to five errors from the visiting team.

Saturday night was an end of recent cold streaks as centerfielder Zach Watson, who came in with three hits in 20 at bats opened with an infield single and reached base all three times. Mainieri moved Watson to the two hole as a confidence booster and the junior hitter responded with his best outing of the young season.

“I wanted to get in there and get some hits,” Watson said. “I changed one thing with my swing and it seemed to really help a lot. I started with my hands back farther instead of right by my shoulder.”

Catcher Brock Mathis came into the outing batting .118 in six games but it’s as if he said ‘enough of this,’ taking the first pitch he saw Saturday night and blasting it to the left field bleachers for his first homerun as a Tiger, and put LSU up 4-1. Mathis finished the night 1-for-3 with a walk.

Bryant starting pitcher Vito Morgese couldn’t make it five outs into the game as he was replaced after seven of the 11 batters he faced reached base. LSU was threatening to do more damage in the second with two on and one out and did just that with a four run effort.

The pitching staff as a whole walked nine batters in four innings.

Four LSU runs in the third inning, including the third homerun from Duplantis, the most he’s hit in a single season in his career, the Tigers were up 11-1 and subs started pouring in. Duplantis went 3-for-5 on the day and leads the team by a country mile in total RBI’s at 17.

“Everybody’s contributing and I think most of the guys in the lineup got a hit today,” Duplantis said. “It’s great moving forward for your confidence as an offense and see everybody clicking.”

“It’s a lot better to win those long games than it is to lose them,” Mainieri said. “I thought our guys had some beautiful at bats and we’ve really been swinging the bat well all weekend, so just proud of the offense.”

Infielder Chris Reid spent some time at third base while freshman Giovanni DiGiacomo replaced Watson in centerfield. Reid went 1-for-3 at the plate while DiGiacomo went hitless in three attempts.

LSU sent freshman Landon Marceaux back to the mound Saturday night for his second start and the freshman had his struggles throughout the night.

Marceaux’s second start began much like his first with a 1-2-3 first inning including a strikeout and cruised through the second and third innings before running into a brick wall in the fourth.

A four run fourth inning from Bryant included three hits, two passed balls and two walks. Marceaux was replaced in the sixth inning by Devin Fontenot and allowed five runs on five hits and four strikeouts.

“I was really proud of Landon bouncing back after the rough fourth inning,” Mainieri said. “To go out there and pitch a beautiful fifth inning and gets us the two outs in the sixth, it shows he’s got that something extra.”

LSU will look to complete the series sweep Sunday afternoon with Jaden Hill on the mound and first pitch set for 3 p.m.

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