BATON ROUGE — Tim Nugent pitched eight strong innings, while LSU took advantage of eight McNeese State errors as they defeated the Cowboys, 7-3 Tuesday night at Alex Box Stadium.
The third-ranked Tigers (6-2) continue their 12-game season-opening homestand Friday night at 7 p.m. when they welcome Duquesne for a three-game series. The Tigers beat the Dukes 14-7 and 9-5 in a pair of 1996 games.
Four of those Cowboy errors came in the third inning, helping LSU score a pair of runs to take a 3-1 lead.
Ray Wright led off the third with a single, then two batters later, Ryan Theriot hit a grounder back to pitcher Laine McKeller. McKeller bobbled the ball and allowed Theriot to reach safely, then compounded his own error by throwing wildly and allowing Wright to reach third.
The Cowboys’ generosity continued, as catcher Ran Prince threw wildly into center field when Theriot stole second, allowing Wright to score. The fourth McNeese error of the inning was a bobble by Kevin Mitchell on Mike Fontenot‘s ground ball, a play on which Theriot scored to make it 3-1.
Jack Newark’s home run in the fourth pulled the Cowboys to within 3-2, but the Tigers answered in the bottom of the frame as Todd Linden lined a leadoff shot into the right field bleachers to give LSU a two-run lead again, 4-2.
The Cowboys scored again in the fifth on Jesse Cassard’s RBI single to pull within one, but that would be all the Cowboys would score on the night, as Nugent, a senior southpaw from Metairie, struck out eight to earn his first victory of the season and first win overall since May 1, 1999.
The Tigers got some insurance in the eighth on Zeph Zinsman‘s home run just inside the right-field foul pole, then scored their final run on a wild play. Pinch-hitter Matt Heath struck out swinging, but Prince’s throw to first sailed wild all the way into the LSU bullpen. As Heath rounded second, Tim Lemke’s throw from right field went past Newark, and Heath crossed the plate.
LSU got on the board in the second with the help of Newark’s error that allowed Linden to reach safely. Linden then stole second and scored on Bryan Moore‘s RBI single.
The Cowboys (6-5) tied the game in the top of the third when Prince lined a single just out of the reach of center fielder Linden, allowing Chad Carnahan to score all the way from first.