3/17/2023 baseball Edit

No. 1 LSU sends message in SEC opener in 9-0 shutout at Texas A&M

LSU pitcher Paul Skenes improved his record to 5-0, striking out 11 in the Tigers' 9-0 SEC opening win at Texas A&M Friday night. Skenes is the NCAA Division 1 leader in strikeouts with 59 K's in 30.1 innings. (Photo courtesy of LSU Athletics)

Ron Higgins • Death Valley Insider

Columnist

A trio of LSU pitchers, led by college baseball’s strikeout leader Paul Skenes, showed exactly why the No. 1 ranked Tigers lead Division 1 in shutouts and are second in earned run average.

Skenes and relievers Nate Ackenhausen and Christian Little combined for a four-hitter in the Tigers’ 9-0 SEC opener blanking of Texas A&M in College Station Friday night.

Skenes allowed all four A&M hits but struck out 11 Aggies in a 106-pitch performance over 6.1 innings. Ackenhausen and Little each followed with scoreless and hitless 1.1 inning stints.

LSU (17-1, 1-0 SEC), in winning its 12th straight game, had 10 hits off three A&M pitchers.

The second, third and fourth hitters in LSU’s batting order – first baseman Tre’ Morgan, center fielder Dylan Crews and third baseman Tommy White – had two hits each. That trio was a combined 6 of 10 from the plate with six runs scored (three each from Morgan and Crews) and three RBI (all from White).

Also, Tigers’ left fielder Josh Pearson was 2 of 4 with two RBI.

LSU scored two runs each in the first and third innings to start the loss that snapped the Aggies (13-5) eight-game win streak.

One-out back-to-back first-inning singles by Morgan and Crews and a walk by White loaded the bases off A&M starting pitcher Nathan Dettmer.

Second baseman Gavin Dugas’ sacrifice fly scored Morgan and Pearson’s RBI single scored Crews.

The Tigers expanded the lead to 4-0 in third when Morgan singled, advanced to third base on a Crews double and scored on Dettmer’s wild pitch. White’s RBI single scored Crews.

LSU added its final five runs in the ninth, startiing quickly by loading the bases with no outs.

Right fielder Paxton Kling doubled, Morgan was hit by a pitch, Crews walked and White cracked two-run RBI single to right center.

Then, Dugas was hit by a pitch, Pearson walked to score Crews and designated hitter Jared Jones’ sacrifice fly scored Ben Nippolt who was pinch-running for White.

LSU scored its final run on a ground out RBI by catcher Alex Milazzo.

Saturday’s game two televised on SEC Network+ will match LSU righthander Ty Floyd (3-0, 1.08 ERA, 16.1 IP, 21 strikeouts, 5 BB) vs. A&M lefty Troy Wansing (2-1, 2.75 ERA, 19.2 IP, 33 strikeouts, 6 BB).