No. 1 LSU bashes A&M to win series, now goes for the Sunday sweep
Freshman designated hitter Jared Jones drove in seven runs and No. 1 LSU scored all its runs in a four-inning span for a 12-7 Saturday afternoon win at No. 11 Texas A&M that clinched the season opening SEC series.
The Tigers (18-1, 2-0 SEC) won its 13th straight game by wiping out a 4-0 deficit after three innings with a six-run, six-hit fourth inning.
A&M (13-6, 0-2 SEC) got its first five runs and four hits off LSU starting pitcher Ty Floyd before Tigers’ relievers Garrett Edwards, Riley Cooper and Blake Money limited the Aggies to five hits and two runs the rest of the way.
Edwards, who gave up three hits and an earned run while striking out five and walking three in 3.1 innings, is now 3-0 after getting credited for the win.
“Garrett has been a big story for our team,” LSU head coach Jay Johnson said. “We knew he was talented, but the way he’s throwing quality strikes and quality innings is awesome."
After LSU broke through in the fourth, the Tigers kept swinging the bats. They finished with 12 hits off five A&M pitchers.
Jones was 3 of 5 with a two-RBI single in the fourth, a three-run homer in the sixth and a two-RBI single in the seventh. Third baseman Tommy White was also 3 of 5 with three RBI and scored three runs.
"Jared (Jones) is super talented, and just watching him slow the game down with runners on base gives me a lot of peace of mind," Johnson said. "He’s in control of himself, so you know you’re going to get a quality at-bat. When a guy is that big, that strong and that physical, and he’s locked in, the results are going to be really good.”
A&M starting pitcher Troy Wansing’s control was all over the place in the LSU second inning when he threw 32 pitches, walked three batters, struck out three and didn’t give up a run.
After striking out Tigers’ second baseman Gavin Dugas to open the inning, he issued consecutive walks on 12 straight balls to left fielder Josh Pearson, Jones and shortstop Jordan Thompson.
Then, with the bases loaded, Wansing suddenly re-gained control by striking out catcher Brady Neal and right fielder Paxton Kling to snuff the rally.
In A&M’s half of the second, the Aggies touched LSU’s Floyd for three hits and a walk for a 2-0 lead.
A&M third baseman Kaeden Kent’s RBI single scored second baseman Austin Bost (who led off with a single) and advanced first baseman Ryan Targac (who had walked) to third base.
It appeared Floyd would escape the inning without further damage when he struck out A&M center fielder Jordan Thompson and induced left fielder Jace Laviolette to fly out to left fielder.
But Aggies’ nine-hole hitter catcher Hank Bard slapped a two-out RBI single before right fielder Kasen Wells was retired for third out on a foul pop-up.
The third inning was a repeat for both teams with LSU leaving the bases full and A&M scoring a pair of runs.
LSU put together a two-out rally, eventually loading the bases against A&M reliever Evan Aschenbeck who replaced Wansing. But on a nine-pitch at-bat, LSU’s Jones lined out to A&M shortstop Hunter Haas.
After Haas led off the Aggies’ third with a ground out, A&M loaded the bases on designated hitter Jack Moss’ single, a Bost fielders’ choice grounder to Floyd who had a throwing error on a failed forceout of Moss at second base and Targac being hit by a Floyd pitch.
Moss then scored on a passed ball charged to LSU’s Neal and Kent’s ground ball RBI scored Bost for a 4-0 lead before Thompson struck out to end the inning.
Hitless in its first 16 at-bats through three innings, the Tigers exploded for six hits in six-run fourth with four singles and two doubles
Thompson and Neal led off the inning with the Tigers’ first two hits of the game.
After two LSU outs and a walk by center fielder Dylan Crews, White, Dugas, Pearson and Jones greeted new A&M reliever Matt Dillard with a two-RBI single, a one-RBI single, a one-RBI double and a two-RBI single for a 6-4 lead.
A&M responded with a run in its half of the fourth when a Wells, the first batter facing LSU reliever Edwards, had an RBI ground out. Edwards eventually got out of the inning unscathed.
The Tigers stretched its lead to 9-5 in the sixth on Jones’ two-out, three-run homer that scored White who had doubled and Dugas who reached base when he was hit by a pitch by A&M reliever No. 3 Brandyn Garcia.
LSU looks to sweep the series with Sunday’s game 3 starting at 1 p.m. The Tigers will start right-hander Thatcher Hurd (2-0, 2.04 ERA) on the mound vs. A&M righty Chris Cortez (1-0, 5.60 ERA).