TUESDAY’S GAME: LSU 5, Nicholls State 3

It took a while, but LSU’s offense finally came through to beat Nicholls State 5-3 Tuesday in Thibodaux.

The Tigers, who stranded 15 base runners, scored all of their runs in the seventh inning and got the best outing of freshman pitcher William Schmidt’s young career to escape with the win in front of a raucous, sold-out crowd.

LSU (31-3) won its ninth straight game and will stay on the road for a Southeastern Conference series beginning Friday at Auburn. Nicholls, which was run-ruled 13-3 by the Tigers in seven innings earlier in the year in Baton Rouge, fell to 12-21.

“I thought we were close a couple of times to having a big inning,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “But credit to Nicholls, we just didn’t get it done. I’m proud of our team for finding a way to get it done.”

It came together in the seventh, trailing 3-0, after Daniel Dickinson drew back-to-back walks, followed by Ethan Frey’s single to load the bases with one out.

Steven Milam got an RBI single for the Tigers’ first run and Jake Brown singled in two runs to tie the game.

Chris Stanfield’s 2-run single capped the big inning.

Schmidt, who’s had an up and down freshman season, pitched the final four innings of the game without allowing the Colonels a hit. He struck out eight.

“I have a ton of confidence in William,” Johnson said. “I think he executed at a high level — a great performance from a pitcher that is very talented and is going to be very, very good.

“We have a lot of faith in him and his role in contributing to winning.”

LSU out-hit Nicholls 11-4, but the Colonels struck first in the third inning after a two-base throwing error by starting pitcher Conner Ware led to Chase Jans’  RBI single. Nicholls added two runs in the fourth on Fisher Ingersoll’s two-run single.

Frey led the Tigers, going 3-for-4, while Milam, Brown, Stanfield and Dickinson had two hits apiece.

Derek Curiel kept his season-long on-base streak alive, but it was close. He didn’t reach until two outs in the top in the ninth when he drew a walk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

to erase the Colonels’ 3-0 lead.