GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
No. 2 LSU was the elephant in the stadium Saturday as the Tigers hit three home runs for a 10-1 win over the overpowered Purdue-Fort Wayne Mastodons, an extinct form of the elephant in the Wooly Mammoth family, in front of 10,964 at Alex Box Stadium.
After hitting zero home runs amid 14 hits in a 14-0 win Friday over the Mastodons, LSU managed only eight hits Saturday, but three mammoth wallops.
Junior transfer second baseman Daniel Dickinson hit a two-run home run to left field in the first inning for a 2-0 lead. Freshman, lefty-hitting left fielder Derek Curiel hit a two-run home run to right-center in the fifth for a 4-1 advantage. And junior returnee first baseman Jared Jones followed Curiel with a solo homer off the scoreboard in left for a 5-1 lead.
“We want to use speed, power and solid hitting,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “We did all of that. Jared hits the scoreboard, which we’ve gotten used see him doing.”
Junior center fielder Chris Stanfield, a transfer from Auburn, beat out a grounder to shortstop to start the fifth-inning rally after two outs.
“It was really a routine ground ball,” Johnson said proudly.
Senior third baseman Michael Braswell III made it 6-1 in the sixth with an RBI double after junior outfielder Ethan Frey singled in the designated hitter slot. Sophomore right fielder Jake Brown, who pinch ran and was also DH, walked with the bases loaded in the seventh for a 7-1 lead. LSU took an 8-1 lead on a wild pitch before pinch-hitting outfielder Ashton Larson singled in two runs for the 10-1 lead in the seventh.
Johnson again emptied his bench, using 18 non-pitchers in various ways. Frey started his first game as did senior Josh Pearson in right field.
Junior transfer right-hander Anthony Eyanson (1-0) of UC-San Diego struck out six and allowed one run on four hits and no walks through five innings for the win, often hitting 95 mph.
“Poise and pitch-ability,” Johnson said. “He could go blindfolded or with his eyes closed and throw his breaking ball over the plate.”
Junior transfer right-hander Connor Benge of Dallas Baptist struck out three with one walk and no hits in an inning and two thirds. Redshirt sophomore left-hander DJ Primeaux struck out three as well with zeros across the board in an inning and a third.
“You’ll see a lot of him this year,” Johnson said.
As well as true freshman Mavric Rizy, a 6-foot-9, 253-pound right-hander from Fiskdale, Massachusetts. He wowed the crowd with a fastball at 96 as he struck out two with zeros across in the ninth inning.
Look for more tall order pitching on Sunday as 6-8, 252-pound redshirt sophomore right-hander Chase Shores will start the 1 p.m. series finale. Shores missed all of 2024 after pitching powerfully but briefly in 2023 (0-1, 1.96 ERA, 15 strikeouts in 18 and a third innings) before injuring his elbow and having reconstruction surgery.
“Thank goodness he’s back,” Johnson said. “He was a program-changing recruit in 2023. Really pleased with the progress he’s had.”
Shores’ fastball was clocked at 99 mph last fall and during preseason scrimmages. LSU pitching has walked two in two games with 31 strikeouts.
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