LSU Baseball defeated Florida 6-1 in Game 1 of the series tonight in Baton Rouge. After suffering a series loss in the SEC vs. Mississippi State last week, the Tigers got off to a strong start this weekend with a dominant win.
Under the lights of Alex Box Stadium, the purple and gold players looked like they were in the old days of their win over the Gators. The Tigers, led by right-handed pitcher Luke Holman, had an exceptional performance on the field throughout the game.
Holman was the star of the night, recording a career-high 13 strikeouts through six innings. The only hit he allowed was a solo home run off right fielder Ty Evans. The only run of the day in Florida.
The Alabama transfer bounced back from a tough game last weekend to solidify his status as LSU's Friday night ace. His performance was followed by Griffin Herring, who continued to dominate the Tigers' defense on the mound until the end.
Herring recorded three strikeouts of his own and allowed only three hits in three innings. He looked confident on the rubber, hitting his spots and catching Florida off guard with several strikeouts. He also sent two hard ground balls to the mound, including the final out.
“It was a great performance from Griffin,” LSU head coach Jay Johnson said. “I have a lot of confidence in him. I know he's going to be able to handle himself in that environment. There were a couple of times where he came up with a count of 3-2. That's what I expected tonight. It was that kind of calmness that he had.”
Although the Tigers' offense was not as dominant as their defense, several action-packed innings led LSU to the victory.
The Tigers got off to a strong start in the first inning, with Josh Pearson's RBI homer scoring Tommy White for the leadoff run. Ethan Fry then hit an RBI in the exact same spot as Pearson, giving Jared Jones his second point.
Frye started as LSU's designated hitter and went 2-4 with one RBI. He is starting to break out as a reliable option for the Tigers at the plate.
“I want him to play,” Johnson said. “He was on the verge of playing a lot up until then.” [his injury]. I really believe in him. I'm excited to continue to bring him into the world. ”
After scoring a two-run lead in the first inning, the Tigers were scoreless until the sixth inning. Hayden Travinsky led off with a double, and Frye came to bat again with a double.
The sophomore batter hit a deep ball that bounced off the wall in right-center field, but Travinsky and Pearson weren't sure if the fly ball would land, preventing both runners from scoring and loading the bases.
Michael Braswell III walked with the bases loaded, sending one run home. Paxton Kling then hit a sacrifice fly to left field, giving the Tigers another run. Bingham hit an infield hit just past the third baseman in his next at-bat, giving LSU the last run of the inning.
The Tigers' offense was inactive for the rest of the game, and they added one more run in the bottom of the eighth inning. The final RBI came from Braswell, who brought it home on Bingham's RBI double.
Led by strong defensive performances from Holman and Herring, LSU returned to its former strength following tonight's win. They go up 1-0 in the series against Florida and return for Game 2 tomorrow night.
