(photo credit: Nate Bell)
By Hunt Palmer
THE STORY
For the first time all weekend, LSU led start to finish on Sunday.
LSU used a four-run first and five pitchers to with 10-5 and finish off a three-game sweep of Missouri to open SEC play.
Ethan Frey’s RBI double, Steven Milam’s sacrifice fly and Jake Brown’s first home run of the season, a two-run shot, accounted for the four-spot in the first.
Three more Tigers came across in the fourth. With two out, Daniel Dickinson doubled home a run, and Frey followed with an RBI single.
The Tiger offense feasted on the Sunday remains of the Missouri pitching staff. LSU scored in five of eight innings and banged out 14 hits.
The effort was enough to allow an LSU pitching staff struggling with command the wiggle room to allow five runs and never truly feel like the game was in doubt.
Missouri’s last real chance came in the seventh when the visiting Tigers loaded the bases with two outs trailing 8-4. Zac Cowan flipped in a 1-2 changeup that froze Tyler Makin to retire the side.
Cowan cruised through his 2.1 innings with five strikeouts. He struck out the side in the eighth. He’s really carved out a vital role in LSU’s bullpen as a dependable strike thrower. While much of the staff relies on blistering fastball, Cowan throws cotton balls up there in the form of a devastating straight changeup.
LSU only retired Missouri in order three times in the game. Six walks and two hit batsmen make it tough to set down sides in order. Missouri mustered nothing but six singles and failed to make the walks hurt.
Chase Shores, the Tigers starter, was good, not great. He issued three walks in 3.2 innings of hard work. He had to throw 87 pitches to get 11 outs. Only 56 of those were for strikes. In the first inning, Shores appeared dialed in. He retired the side on 16 pitches.
Missouri tallied a run in the second, third and fourth innings on the towering right hander to cut his day short.
Mavrick Rizy and Cowan pitched most effectively for the Tiger bullpen. D.J. Primeaux was used for the third consecutive game.
LSU has won 15 games in a row and is 3-0 in SEC play.
THE SCORECARD
- Derek Curiel: 3-for-3, walk, 2 R
- Ethan Frey: 3-for-4, 2 RBI, R
- Steven Milam: 2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, walk
- Mavrick Rizy: 2IP, 0H, 1R, 1BB, 1K, 25 pitches, 16 strikes
- Zac Cowan: 2.1IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 5K, 1BB
- LSU scored 10 runs on 14 hits
- Missouri had just seven hits, all singles
- LSU drove in four runs with two outs
WHAT’S NEXT
LSU will host New Orleans on Tuesday night. The Privateers are 10-7 (pending Sunday’s result) playing without former head coach Blake Dean who stepped down just weeks prior to the start of the season.
Next weekend LSU will travel to Austin to play Texas in the SEC opener at Disch-Faulk Field.
