GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU enjoyed a long weekend at Alex Box Stadium.
As in long ball.
The No. 1 Tigers hit 10 home runs in a three-game sweep of North Alabama after coming into the weekend with 15 home runs in 13 games.
LSU (16-1) also collected its first grand slam of the season in an 11-5 win Sunday, courtesy of Josh Pearson in the sixth inning for an 11-2 lead. It was his second homer of the season and of the weekend. He hit a solo shot on Friday in LSU’s 13-2, 10-run-rule win in which the Tigers hit six homers – the most since the 2023 national championship season when LSU hit six in a Super Regional win over Kentucky.
“As far as the power piece, it was a great game Friday night,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “It was great today, and it was cold. I’m just really good with where we’re at offensively.”
Also homering Sunday were Jared Jones with a two-run shot in the first inning for a 2-0 lead and Steven Milam with a solo homer in the fourth for a 5-2 advantage. Jones had a two-run home run in the Tigers’ 6-2 win on Saturday and leads the team with six.
“The whole design is to be able to win any type of game,” Johnson said, and his team has done that all season. There was the low-scoring win Saturday, 24 runs on Friday and Sunday. There was a 4-2 win over Omaha in the second weekend of the season, 7-3 and 8-5 over No. 17 Dallas Baptist and Kansas State (10 innings) last weekend in Frisco, Texas, and six double-digit run games for lopsided wins over the last seven.
“Slugfest, pitcher’s duel, any type of park, big, small, any type of conditions, wind blowing in, wind blowing, day game, night game,” Johnson said. “It was 5-2 in the fifth, and boom six spot in the sixth. I thought we did a really good job. Very workmanlike performance.”
LSU took an 11-2 lead in the sixth with the six runs. Jake Brown and Tanner Reaves singled to start things. Derek Curiel later walked with the bases loaded for a 6-2 lead. Daniel Dickinson made it 7-2 with an RBI single, bringing up Pearson, who launched the slam to right-center field.
“He hung up a changeup on the first pitch, and I saw it coming,” said Pearson, who didn’t see it go out. “I kind of lost it in the clouds.”
Which is a good thing when you’re batting – not fielding.
In all, seven players homered on the weekend, and the Tigers have 25 on the season by 11 players.
“We all knew the home runs would come,” Pearson said. “Everybody is being super aggressive up there.”
LSU starter Chase Shores (4-0) picked up his fourth consecutive win, but he was not dominant. He gave up two runs on four hits and a walk in the third and nine hits in all with another walk while striking out four.
“Really the runs are the only thing I’m concerned about to be honest,” Johnson said. “Chase is tough to score on.”
North Alabama (3-11) scored a run in the eighth off LSU reliever Cooper Williams, who walked two batters in the inning, and got two off Chandler Dorsey in the ninth of two hits and a walk.
The Tigers host Xavier (7-9) on Tuesday (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+) before opening SEC play at home Friday (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+) against Missouri (8-8), which lost 5-2 to Binghamton on Sunday.
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