LSU Wins Game 1 Over Kentucky, 16-6

BATON ROUGE, La. – Shortstop Jordan Thompson and rightfielder Brayden Jobert every launched a grand slam Thursday evening to carry top-ranked LSU to a 16-6 victory over No. 11 Kentucky inside Alex Field Stadium, Skip Bertman Discipline.

LSU improved to 28-5 on the season and 8-4 in convention play, whereas the Wildcats dropped to 27-6 total and 9-4 in SEC motion.

The second sport of the LSU-Kentucky collection is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. CT first pitch on Friday, and will probably be streamed on SEC Community+. The matchup can even be broadcast on the LSU Sports activities Radio Community associates.

Designated hitter Cade Beloso scorched a house run to proper discipline to account for the third dinger from LSU on the evening. He posted a line of 1-for-2 with three RBI and two HBP. Third baseman Tommy White collected the primary two RBI of the competition with a two-RBI double to left discipline within the first inning.

“I’m actually happy with our guys and the at-bats that they took,” stated LSU coach Jay Johnson. “I felt like they confirmed as much as the park tremendous decided right this moment, and you may see it in batting observe. That’s how they present up daily, however I had a extremely good feeling going into the sport tonight that we have been able to play.

“We got here off of sport on Tuesday (at Tulane), and we carried that momentum ahead. We wish to be a kind of groups that when you give us an inch, we’re going to take mile, and we did that within the first three innings.”

LSU starter Paul Skenes (6-1) earned the victory for the Tigers. Skenes, who leads the nation in strikeouts, fanned 13 batters to match his profession excessive. After selecting up his ninth strikeout of the evening, his season whole hit 100, and it at present sits at 104. Skenes pitched 6.0 innings and gave up 5 runs – 4 earned — on seven hits with one stroll.

“Paul has set such a excessive bar and excessive commonplace, and ultimately, he was going to surrender just a few runs,” Johnson stated. “You don’t see that fairly often, so credit score to Kentucky for getting some swings on him. I’m very happy with Paul, and I’m glad we may get this win for him tonight.”

Kentucky starter Zach Hise (1-1) was charged with the loss after tossing 1.2 innings and permitting 11 runs – six earned — on 4 hits. He gave up two residence runs and three extra-base hits.

After a scoreless prime of the primary, the Tigers opened the scoring within the backside half, placing for six runs. The inning started with a hit-by-pitch from second baseman Gavin Dugas and an intentional stroll issued to centerfielder Dylan Crews. White drove in each runs with a double to offer LSU a 2-0 lead.

With an early lead, Beloso reached by way of an HBP, and first baseman Jared Jones hit a double to proper discipline. Thompson got here to the plate and smashed his sixth homer of the season – this one among grand slam selection – to extend the margin to 6-0.

With the dinger – the primary grand slam of his profession – Thompson has now homered in 4 straight video games.

Within the prime of the second, the Wildcats reached two straight singles. Kentucky second baseman Emilien Pitre reached third base by tagging up on a fly ball to proper discipline. The guests scratched throughout their first run with an RBI single from proper fielder Nolan McCarthy and shortened the result in 5.

The Tigers responded within the backside of the second, scratching throughout 5 extra runs, together with the second grand slam of the ballgame – this time from Jobert. Earlier than placing up 4 runs, left fielder Tre’ Morgan reached base with the third HBP thrown by Wildcat pitchers. Following Morgan’s at-bat, White reached on a fielding error and Beloso acquired hit by one other pitch.

Jobert launched his sixth dinger of the yr – and his second profession grand slam — to make the rating 11-1. LSU, which has hit 5 grand slams this season, hit two in a sport for the primary time since Could 13, 2014, when the Tigers blasted two grand slams versus Northwestern State in Alex Field Stadium.

Beloso joined the house run parade, launching a house run to proper discipline within the backside of the third. Crews reached base with the fifth HBP thrown by the Wildcats, and White singled up the center. Beloso’s ensuing three-run dinger was his fifth of the season and gave LSU a 14-1 lead.

Kentucky scored 4 runs throughout the fourth and fifth inning, and the Wildcats added one within the seventh to cut back the margin to 14-6.

LSU tacked on the ultimate two runs of the sport, and catcher Alex Milazzo lined an RBI single by means of the left facet within the backside of the eighth inning to offer the Tigers the run-rule victory.