LSU (27-16, 6-13 SEC) and Auburn (20-21, 2-17 SEC) found themselves in a defensive duel for most of the evening with only a pair of homers from Tommy White and Hayden Travinski giving LSU a narrow two-run lead.
But a four-hit seventh inning from LSU gave the Tigers some breathing room in what was eventually a comfortable 5-0 win.
The first three innings went by in a hurry as LSU and Auburn combined for just one hit and six strikeouts. LSU didn’t record a hit until the fourth inning when White came up to bat in a 0-0 game with two ours gone. He got a hold of a pitch from Auburn starter Dylan Watts and put the first run of the game on the board with his 16th homer of the season.
ALL ABOARD 🚂@tommywhite44 | SECN+ pic.twitter.com/8lWg40OikM
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) April 27, 2024
In the bottom of the fifth inning Travinski blasted another pitch from Watts to double the LSU Tigers’ lead. It was Travinski’s 12th homer of the season and his 39th RBI.
Watts was pulled from the game in the bottom of the sixth inning after surrendering a single to Ashton Larson with two outs gone. Watts went 5.2 innings and gave up three hits, two runs and no walks while recording a season-high nine strikeouts.
He was replaced by John Armstrong who gave up a single to White to put a runner in scoring position, but Jared Jones struck out to end the frame. He’d find himself in trouble again in the seventh inning though.
Travinski and Michael Braswell III both hit singles to put runners on the corners with one out gone. Steven Milam struck out and Braswell stole second to put two runners in scoring position with two outs gone.
Catcher Alex Milazzo hit a two-RBI double to left center to double LSU’s lead to 4-0. Armstrong hit Paxton Kling with a pitch and was pulled for Parker Carlson with two runners on. Larson hit an RBI single to score another runner and bring the lead to 5-0.
CLUTCH 😤@Milazzo__7 | SECN+ pic.twitter.com/M2l3eau7SL
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) April 27, 2024
Gage Jump came out of the game to start the eighth inning after his second-straight quality start. He finished the night allowing just two hits and walking no batters through seven innings pitched. He recorded six strikeouts to bring his total to 20 over his last two starts.
Christian Little came in and picked up right where Jump left off. He struck out the first three batters he faced and sent LSU to the bottom of the eighth inning with its shutout still intact and needing just three outs to end the game.
LSU got a couple runners on base in the bottom of the eighth inning thanks to a double from Jones and a walk from Baswell but couldn’t add it its lead to head to the ninth inning still up by five runs.
Little sent the Auburn batters down in order to end the game and give LSU its first SEC shutout of the season.
LSU gave up just two hits to Auburn and recorded 10 strikeouts. Auburn didn’t have a single extra base hit and the Tigers didn’t walk a single batter. LSU ended the night with nine hits.
LSU and Auburn play again tomorrow at 6 p.m.
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