BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU sophomore catcher Ty Ross collected three hits and two RBI, and freshman right-hander Aaron Nola fired three shutout innings to lead the Purple to a 5-3 win over the Gold in Game 2 of the Purple-Gold World Series Thursday at Alex Box Stadium.
The three-game intrasquad series concludes with Game 3 at 3 p.m. Friday. The Purple captured a 6-1 victory in Game 1 on Tuesday.
Though the Purple has won the first two six-inning games, the Gold can still win the Series if it defeats the Purple by eight or more runs on Friday.
Ross was 3-for-3 at the plate and he drove in a pair of runs Thursday to pace the Purple’s 10-hit output. Junior second baseman Casey Yocom and freshman first baseman Evan Powell were both 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Nola started the game for the Purple and recorded three scoreless frames with three strikeouts.
“There’s no question Aaron Nola is going to have a very important role for us this season,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “He was outstanding on the mound today as he has been throughout the fall. He reminds me of (former LSU stars) Louis Coleman and Jared Bradford in that he has great versatility and can excel as a starter or reliever.”
The Gold was led at the plate by junior rightfielder Mason Katz, who delivered a two-run double, and by junior second baseman Beau Didier, who provided a solo homer. Senior infielder Tyler Hanover and sophomore centerfielder JaCoby Jones each recorded a double for the Gold squad.
“I thought we had a lot of good at-bats on both sides,” Mainieri said. “Ross and Yocom came through with clutch base hits, and Katz swung the bat well. There were a lot of positives and some things that we need to work on. Some of our freshmen pitchers are going through growing pains, but they compete hard and will continue to develop.”
Sophomore right-hander Nick Rumbelow posted a save for the Purple, working a scoreless final inning with two strikeouts.
“Rumbelow has had an excellent fall, and he had a tremendous summer before returning to school,” Mainieri said. “He has great velocity and command of three pitches, and I really like the poise and maturity he demonstrates on the mound. He’s a strong candidate to be a guy we can count on in the late innings.”
The Purple will start sophomore right-hander Joe Broussard on the mound in Game 3 on Friday, while the Gold will counter with sophomore right-hander Kurt McCune.