LSU Baseball
By Hunt Palmer
THE STORY
The level of competition dipped for LSU on Saturday, but the Tigers’ level of play didn’t.
Every phase of LSU’s 6-1 victory in game one of a doubleheader was solid, and the Tigers got a “must sweep” weekend off to a good start. They also snapped a nine-game SEC losing streak.
William Schmidt finished six innings for the first time in a conference game. He only allowed one run, it came courtesy of back-to-back doubles by the visiting Gamecocks in the first. Only one baserunner reached second base against the Tiger starter after that, and Schmidt punched out Patrick Evans when that happened with two outs in the fourth.
South Carolina only worked Schmidt to three three-ball counts and only drew one walk against the sophomore right-hander who turned in a performance LSU had to have in an 18-inning day.
The LSU offense did a great job against Gamecock ace Amp Phillips.
Mason Braun got things started with a leadoff single in the first, and Omar Serna smoked a gapper to right center to put runners at second and third with no one out immediately. Derek Curiel’s ground out and Cade Arrambide’s back side RBI single gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead in an impressive response to the early Gamecock tally.
Braun and Serna got it rolling again in the second. Both reached via the free pass. Curiel singled up the middle to plate a run, and Steven Milam punched an opposite field single to score two more after a wild pitch. It was quickly 5-1. Those two freshmen have been excellent atop the order for two weeks.
Arrambide’s RBI groundout in the fourth padded the lead.
Grant Fontenot got into some trouble in the eighth when he yielded a leadoff single and Milam shockingly made his first fielding error of the year on a routine double play ball. Fontenot responded with a fly ball out and a pair of swinging strikeouts to squelch the threat.
The hard-throwing right-hander finished the final three innings just as Jay Johnson would have scripted. The Tigers are in as good a spot as they could wish for entering the final two games of the series.
That was an enjoyable game to watch, and those have been hard to come by for this squad since February.
THE SCORECARD
William Schmidt: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 97 pitches, 61 strikes
Grant Fontenot: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Tiger pitching combined for one walk
Mason Braun: 1-for-2, 3 BB, 2 R
Omar Serna: 1-for-3, 2B, BB, HBP, 3 R
Steven Milam: 2-for-4, 2 RBI
LSU was 3-for-9 (.333) with RISP
WHAT’S NEXT
LSU and South Carolina are back at it Saturday night at 6:30. Marcos Paz will get the start for LSU. The Gamecocks will counter with sinkerballer Brandon Stone.
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