Solid starting point
Tigers pick up 10-2 win over Air Force in season opener
Eighth-ranked LSU took advantage of control problems by Air Force to roll to a 10-2 victory against the Falcons in the season opener Friday night in Alex Box Stadium.
Three Tigers were hit by pitches and scored and three others drew walks and scored as LSU came up with nine runs in the first two innings. Jackson Slaid had a two-run double in the first and JaCoby Jones had a two-run single in the second as Falcons starter Ben Bertelson (0-1) gave up eight runs on just three hits in 1-plus innings.
LSU starter Kevin Gausman (1-0) went six innings, allowing four hits and one run — Garrett Custons’ first-inning homer — striking out seven and walking two.
“Their starter hurt himself with walks and hit batsmen and we took advantage of the opportunity early in the game,” Tigers coach Paul Mainieri said. “After we got the 9-1 lead our offense lost a little bit of its edge, which tends to happen when a game gets a little bit lopsided.”
LSU will play Alcorn State, which defeated Air Force 7-5 earlier Friday, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The Braves and the Falcons are scheduled to meet again at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Gausman was dominant against the first two batters of the game, striking out Taylor Ausbun and Patrick Lobo swinging. Custons then drove the ball over the fence in left-center to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead.
“It was on the outer half, but I got it up an inch or two higher than I wanted,” Gausman said. “He was cheating on the fastball. He took notes on the first two batters because we started them off with fastballs too. We were being aggressive.”
The key for the hitters was to be less aggressive than patient. The first two hitters — Tyler Hanover and Casey Yocom — were hit by pitches and Raph Rhymes walked to load the bases with none out.
Mason Katz was hit by a pitch, forcing home Hanover, and Slaid — who had just six at bats as a freshman last season — followed with the Tigers’ first hit, a two-run double that dropped just inside the foul line in right.
“Sometimes it takes some pressure off of you knowing that the pitcher has to put the ball over the plate,” Slaid said. “He did just that. I got a pitch to hit and put the barrel on it.”
JaCoby Jones looked at strike three before Nola hit an RBI-grounder that made it 4-1. Tyler Ross’ RBI-single gave LSU a 5-1 lead after one.
The Tigers batted around again in the second. Hanover walked to lead off and Yocom doubled him home. Rhymes walked and two outs later Jones singled home two runs for an 8-1 lead. Nola’s RBI-single made it 9-1 after two. The lead grew to 10-1 in the fourth when Jordy Snikeris’ fielder’s-choice grounder drove home Nola, who had doubled.
Air Force had planned on starting its ace, Sean Carley, but earlier in the week he developed soreness in his elbow. On top of that the Falcons used four pitchers during the loss to Alcorn State earlier Friday.
“They were running a little thin on pitching,” Mainieri said.
LSU had no such problem. Gausman was on a 75-pitch count and threw 68 through six innings.
“I’ve seen Kevin Gausman pitch better,” Mainieri said, “but that sounds kind of funny to say when he only gives up one run and strikes out seven in six innings. But he can be better, and that’s a scary thought.”
Kevin Berry relieved Gausman to start the seventh and pitched one scoreless inning, hitting one batter. Aaron Nola pitched the eighth and allowed two hits and one run, striking out two. Nick Goody struck out the side in order in the ninth for his first save.
“I treat every outing like the score is 0-0 and I have to shut them out,” Goody said. “I left a few fastballs up, and that’s something I need to work on, but obviously the results look good on paper.”
Notes
Mainieri took advantage of the big lead to use 20 players. In addition to the four pitchers he used, 14 players batted and two others played in the field without batting. … Tyler Edward was a late scratch from the LSU lineup after straining a hamstring during batting practice. Rhymes moved from left field to right to replace Edward, Slaid moved from the designated hitter’s spot to left, and Snikeris was inserted into the lineup at DH. … Sophomore RH Ryan Eades is scheduled to start for the Tigers against Alcorn State on Saturday. … Mainieri coached third base for the first six innings, a duty that usually belongs to hitting coach Javi Sanchez, who took over for the seventh and the eighth.