Too many errors, too few hits doom LSU to a road loss at Louisiana Tech
Sloppy fielding, spotty hitting and ineffective pitching doomed Jay Johnson to his first loss as LSU’s new baseball coach.
On a chilly, rainy Wednesday night in Ruston, host Louisiana Tech led from start to finish in an 11-6 non-conference victory over the Tigers.
Five LSU errors, combined with five of six Tigers’ pitchers allowing runs and the four top-of-the-order LSU batters going 1 for 15 with four strikeouts was too much for the Tigers (3-1) to overcome.
Louisiana Tech starting pitcher Cade Gibson (1-0) limited LSU to three hits and three runs in five innings while striking out eight and walking one.
"They (LSU) have great hitters," Gibson said. "(Pitching) Coach (Cooper) Fouts had a great game plan going in. We were going to cross count with a bunch of stuff. If they were ahead, we were going to try to go offspeed and mix it up a lot so we couldn't show any patterns."
LSU starting pitcher Riley Cooper gave up six hits and four runs (three earned) in just two innings.
“They capitalized on our mistakes; good teams do that, and we’ll do that to teams at times this season,” Johnson said.. “You like to win these games when mistakes rear their head, but we didn’t, so we’ll work on controlling the ball and we’ll work on having better plate discipline."
Tech took a 5-0 lead through the first three innings.
But a two-run homer by designated hitter Brayden Jobert in fourth inning, a Tre’ Morgan ground out RBI in the fifth and a Gavin Dugas RBI single in the top of the sixth pulled the Tigers within 5-4.
That was the homestanding Bulldogs (4-0) cue to re-start their offensive engine. They scored six consecutive runs, four in the bottom of the sixth off two hits and three LSU errors and two in the seventh on Taylor Young’s two-run homer.
“I was pleased with getting down 5-0 getting it back to 5-4; I think that’s a good sign, and I think the energy in the dugout was a positive," Johnson said. "I felt like we were engaged in the game, but we’ve got to play baseball better.”
Left fielder Gavin Dugas and shortstop Jordan Thompson led LSU with two hits each. Dugas had three RBI.
Tech’s four top-of-order batters Young, Philip Matulia, Cole McConnell and Steele Netterville were a combined 8 of 18 at the plate with nine RBI and five runs scored. Young was 3 of 4 with four RBI and two runs scored.
LSU is back in action this weekend at home. The Tigers play Towson at 6:30 p.m. Friday and at 12 noon on Sunday and play Southern at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.