BATON ROUGE — Head coach Smoke Laval earned his 400th career win on Tuesday night, as the 12th-ranked LSU baseball team erupted from its hitting woes to blast Northwestern State, 19-2, at Alex Box Stadium.
The Tigers (24-11) snapped a three-game losing streak and won their fifth consecutive game against their in-state foe. The Demons (27-11) saw their five-game winning streak come to an end and suffered their worst loss to LSU since a 24-0 thrashing in 1986.
The Tigers welcome Ole Miss to Alex Box this weekend in a key Southeastern Conference series. Game times are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (Friday), 2 p.m. (Saturday) and 1 p.m. (Sunday). NSU, who currently sits atop the Southland Conference standings, travels to Sam Houston State.
Laval improved his all-time career record to 400-233-1 (.631) in 11 years as a head coach. He compiled 241 wins in seven seasons at UL-Monroe, before his current tally of 159 wins in his fourth year at LSU.
Laval’s 400th career victory came on a night where the Tigers offense exploded for 19 runs on 19 hits — the squad’s second largest offensive output of the season. Eight of the runs came via three home runs, including a grand slam by Nick Stavinoha.
“Our bat speed was back tonight and it looked like our legs were under us,” said Laval. “They (the players) looked different tonight against guys who were throwing harder than South Carolina.”
Last weekend, LSU managed seven runs while hitting .216 as a team against a South Carolina pitching staff rated tops in the league in ERA.
Chris Jackson, Blake Gill, Matt Liuzza, Quinn Stewart and Stavinoha each collected three hits.
Jackson, who was 3-for-6 with a homer and four RBI, arrived to the field 20 minutes before first pitch after going through spring football practice this afternoon.
“Coach (Laval) is just giving me an opportunity to play and get some at-bats because I don’t play in the summer,” said the two-sport athlete who serves as the football team’s punter and placekicker. “I don’t get out much in the fall as I like too, so I am just trying to do my best.”
Brandon Nall (3-1) worked five innings to qualify for the win in his third start of the season. The senior limited the Demons to two runs on two hits, while walking two and striking out four.
Rusty Jones (3-2) suffered the loss and was tagged for five runs in 2.2 innings of work. The left-hander walked two and did not record a strikeout.
The first batter of the game foreshadowed what was to come. Jackson, batting in the leadoff spot and starting at third base, delivered a single. Two batters into the game, the Tigers were on the board as Gill sent the first of his three hits to the right field wall for a triple. Patterson added a sacrifice fly.
The 2-0 lead quickly disappeared in the top of the second on Miles’ Durham’s two-run homer off of Nall.
But that was as close as the Demons would come all night. LSU responded with 16 unanswered runs starting in the third.
In that frame, Jones retired the first two batters and looked to be settling in. A walk to Dustin Weaver and a single by Stewart was followed by a timely hit from Liuzza, who sent a two-run single up the middle.
Gill’s homer came in the fourth — his second blast in as many games — to give the Tigers a 6-2 lead.
Liuzza and Jackson highlighted a three-run fifth with an RBI single and double, respectively.
Jackson capped his career night with his first homer in the bottom of the seventh. The River Ridge, La., native belted a three-run opposite field shot off Daniel Desclouds — NSU’s fourth pitcher of the night.
“I was just going up there looking for a fastball,” said Jackson. “That was the approach I had, and he threw me one there. I got my best swing off.”
Stavinoha put the finishing touches on in the eighth with LSU’s second grand slam of the season.
Pitchers Justin Meier and Edgar Ramirez combined for four innings of scoreless relief.
LSU 19, Northwestern State 2 (Apr 12, 2005 at Baton Rouge, La.)
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Northwestern State.. 020 000 000 – 2 6 3 (27-11)
LSU…………………………. 212 230 36X – 19 19 0 (24-11)
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Pitchers: Northwestern State – Jones, Rusty; Johnston, S(3); Jones, Blake(4); Desclouds, D(7); Keener, Cory(8); Hall, Dwayne(8); Copeland, N(8). LSU – Nall; Meier(6); Ramirez(9).
Win-Nall (3-1) Loss-Jones, R. (3-2) T-2:46 A-7175
HR NWLA – Durham, Mile (5).
HR LSU – Jackson (1); Gill (5); Stavinoha (8).
Game notes:
LSU coach Smoke Laval earns 400th career victory (400-233-1) in 11 seasons at UL-Monroe and LSU
Actual attendance: 2,324
Hall, Dwayne faced 3 batters in the 8th.