LSU baseball team defeated Tennessee, 9-3, in game one of the SEC series, Friday night at Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers connected for 15 hits.
Friday was the first time that LSU launched four home runs in a SEC game since the Tigers did it May 16, 2013 vs Ole Miss at The Box.
Jake Slaughter became the first player to hit two homeruns in a game, launching his in the second and third inning, since Michael Papierski did vs. Oregon State in the College World Series, last season. He now has four homeruns this season, surpassing his total of three from last year.
The Tigers advance to 22-13 (7-6) on the season while Tennessee falls to 21-15 (5-8).
LSU and the Volunteers will play game two of the series tomorrow night with first pitch scheduled for 8 p.m. CT.
Zack Hess threw a terrific ballgame, not allowing a hit until the fourth inning. In the fifth inning, Hess struck out the side. Hess went seven innings, striking out seven and surrendering just three hits and one run.
Garrett Crochet suffered the loss for Tennessee. He gave up eight runs on 10 hits in two innings of work.
Leading off the game, Beau Jordan launched the first pitch he saw, a fastball, into the left field bleachers to get LSU on the board early. After Zach Watson reached base safely, Antoine Duplantis extended his hit-streak to seven games with a single. Austin Bain then drove a single for himself, scoring Watson and putting runners on the corners. Daniel Cabrera grounded into a double play, but that allowed Duplantis to score, giving LSU the 3-0 lead over the Volunteers after one.
Like Jordan in the first inning, Slaughter led the second off with a deep 428-foot homerun to centerfield, giving the Tigers a 4-0 lead. With runners on second and third, Duplantis grounded out to second base, but in the process, Beau Jordan was able to come home from third. The lefty, Bain, then went with a pitch on the outside, driving an opposite-field single and pushing home Watson to give LSU the 6-0 lead.
In the third inning, Hunter Feduccia led the Tigers off for the third consecutive inning with a homerun. The Tigers went back-to-back when Slaughter drove his second homerun of the night.
Tennessee got on the board in the fourth inning when Nico Mascia came up with a RBI single. The two teams would go scoreless until LSU struck for one final run in the eighth.
After a two-out triple from Duplantis, Bain drove him home. It was Bain’s fourth hit of the evening and third RBI, both career highs.