BATON ROUGE — Left fielder Ryan Patterson and shortstop Matt Horwath drove in two runs apiece Friday night to lead a 10-hit attack as LSU defeated a squad of former Tiger players, 8-2, in the annual Alumni Game in Alex Box Stadium.
LSU is now 5-0 against the Alumni squad in a series which began prior to the 2000 regular season.
LSU, ranked No. 2 by Baseball America magazine, opens the regular season Feb. 13 at UCF in Orlando.
The Alumni team was composed of former LSU players who are currently active in professional baseball, including second baseman Todd Walker of the Chicago Cubs, who was 2-for-3 at the plate and scored a run.
The Alumni grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a two-run single by right fielder Brad Hawpe, but LSU tied the game in the bottom of the inning on an RBI groundout by third baseman Ivan Naccarata and an RBI single by designated hitter Nick Stavinoha.
Horwath’s RBI single in the third gave the Tigers a 3-2 advantage before centerfielder J.C. Holt contributed an RBI double in the fourth and scored on a throwing error to increase the margin to 5-2.
Horwath again provided an RBI single in the sixth to make it 6-2, and Patterson delivered a two-run homer in the eighth to account for the final score.
True freshman right-hander Michael Bonura earned the victory for LSU, working the first three innings and allowing two runs on four hits with no walks and three strikeouts.
Alumni starting pitcher Shane Youman took the loss, as he allowed three runs on four hits in two innings with one walk and one strikeout.
Bonura was relieved in the fourth inning by left-hander Lane Mestepey, who was making his first appearance on the mound since undergoing shoulder surgery in the summer of 2002. Mestepey worked two solid innings, allowing no runs on two hits with one strikeout.
Relievers Collin Smith and Clay Dirks combined to pitch the final four innings, surrendering no runs on one hit with five strikeouts.
The LSU pitchers did not allow a walk and limited the Alumni squad to only seven hits with nine strikeouts.
ALUMNI 200 000 000 — 2 7 3
LSU 210 201 02x — 8 10 1
E-Theriot, Cresse, G. Smith, Thompson.
DP-Alumni 1.
LOB-Alumni 6, LSU 7.
2B-Holt, Gill.
HR-Patterson.
SB-Walker, Phillips.
WP-Bonura.
LP-Youman.
U-Layrisson, Schexnaydre, Boudreaux.
T-2:37.
A-4336 paid, 2132 actual.