McCune, Tigers blank Air Force
LSU’s batting grabbed the spotlight as the Tigers began the season with a 10-2 victory against Air Force on Friday and a 19-0 rout of Alcorn State on Saturday.
On Sunday afternoon, it was the pitchers who stole the show in a 4-0 victory against Air Force (1-2) in Alex Box Stadium. Starter Kurt McCune (1-0) pitched six scoreless innings, Aaron Nola was dominant for two and Nick Rumbelow pitched around two errors behind him during a scoreless ninth.
The combined four-hitter enabled the Tigers (3-0) to overcome inconsistent hitting and having four runners thrown out on the bases.
It was a much more dramatic game the first two games. LSU scored nine runs in the first two innings Friday and 11 in the first three on Saturday. McCune, however, had no runs to work with through three innings.
“I knew as long as I kept zeroes on the board, we can’t lose,” McCune said, “so I just kept fighting to keep the score as low as possible. I knew we’d come around eventually.”
McCune gave up singles to two of the first three hitters of the game, but got a groundout and a strikeout to escape the first. He gave up a one-out walk in the second, but allowed just a two-out single in the fifth during his final four innings. He gave up three hits and one walk and struck out four.
“He just got in a groove after (the second inning),” catcher Tyler Moore said. “There was a fire in him not to let that happen again.”
McCune said it helped him that the Falcons faced hard-throwing Kevin Gausman on Friday, then had to adjust to McCune’s off-speed pitches.
The Tigers had trouble adjusting to the off-speed pitches of Air Force left-hander Michael Ceci the first time through the order. Jackson Slaid had a one-out single in the second and with two outs in the second Tyler Hanover walked and Jared Foster singled, but LSU stranded all three runners.
“It took us about three innings to figure the soft-throwing left-hander out,” Tigers coach Paul Mainieri said. “I wish we would have adjusted a little quicker. The second time around, we started hitting the ball up the middle better and got a rally going.
The Tigers broke through in the bottom of the fourth. Mason Katz led off with a single and Slaid followed with another single. Katz advanced to third on JaCoby Jones’ line-out to medium center. Austin Nola hit a one-hopper back to the mound and Katz broke for home. Air Force got him in a rundown as Ceci threw home, but Katz negotiated his way back to third as Ceci’s throw to shortstop Matthew Roberts was late.
Moore brought Katz and Slaid home with a single to center as Nola went to third. Moore stole second and catcher Garrett Custons’ throw sailed into center, allowing Nola to score for a 3-0 lead.
Meanwhile, McCune was sailing along and even went an inning longer than his scheduled five because he was so far from his pitch count of 75 after five innings. He wound up throwing 72 on six before giving way to Aaron Nola, who threw two perfect innings on just 19 pitches, striking out two.
Moore, a freshman from Dunham, helped him out with a diving catch behind home plate when Taylor Ausbun popped the ball up trying to bunt his way on with one out in the sixth.
“It popped up behind me, and I just took my mask off and tried to find it,” Moore said. “I just hustled over there and dove, and it was in my glove.”
Nola said he was much more comfortable after giving up two hits and one run in one inning in his debut Friday night.
“I had to get one inning pitched under my belt first,” Nola said. “I felt good on Friday, but today I felt better.”
The Tigers added a run in the bottom of the eighth when Slaid hit his third single of the game, driving home Raph Rhymes.
It looked like that fourth run might be important as the Falcons loaded the bases against Rumbelow in the ninth. Blair Roberts reached on a throwing error by Austin Nola that pulled Katz of of first after Nola had ranged far to his left at short to snare Roberts’ grounder.
After Custons hit into a fielder’s choice, Alex Bast popped to Nola and Patrick Lobo singled to left. Rumbelow seemed to finish it when Ausbun struck out swinging at a ball in the dirt, but it bounced away from Moore and his throw to first pulled Katz off the bag, loading the bases and bringing the potential tying run to the plate.
Pinch hitter David Thomas flied to Rhymes in right to end it, giving the Tigers consecutive shutouts for the first time since blanking Centenary and Alabama in 2008.
“The game was somewhat close there, and it really wasn’t (Rumbelow’s) fault,” Mainieri said. “It created a situation where Rumbelow really had to kind of regroup and show some poise and he did.”
AIR FORCE 6, ALCORN STATE 1: Three Air Force pitchers combined on a six-hitter as the Falcons beat the Braves at Alex Box Stadium in a game postponed from Saturday because of rain.
Starter Cameron White (1-0) pitched seven innings, allowing five hits and one run, walking two and striking out five. Ben Yokley pitched a perfect eighth and Alex Baker pitched a scoreless ninth, allowing one hit.
Alcorn (1-2) beat Air Force 7-5 on Friday before losing to LSU 19-0 on Saturday.