BATON ROUGE, La. – Xavier second baseman Jared Cushing’s sixth-inning RBI single on Sunday provided the go-ahead run, and the Musketeers held on for a 2-1 win over second-ranked LSU in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.
LSU, which saw its nine-game win streak end, dropped to 14-2 on the season, while Xavier improved to 8-8.
The Tigers return to action at 6 p.m. CT Tuesday when they play host to North Dakota State in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. The game will be broadcast on affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network, and it will be streamed on SEC Network +.
Xavier starting pitching Nick Boyle (2-0) earned the win, as he allowed one unearned run on four hits in 5.0 innings with two walks and seven strikeouts.
Reliever Jake Hooker picked up his first save of the season for the Musketeers, working the final 2.0 innings and allowing no runs on no hits with three strikeouts.
“I think I can separate the game today from where our team is at as a whole,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “I think the competitive nature of our team and our program right now is that we really believe we can win every game that we play. So, today is disappointing, but we’ll get back to work on it, remain positive and get ready for Tuesday night.”
LSU reliever Nate Ackenhausen (2-1) was charged with the loss, as he allowed one run on two hits in 2.1 innings with one walk and no strikeouts.
LSU starting pitcher Thatcher Hurd delivered an excellent outing, limiting Xavier to one unearned run on four hits in 5.0 innings with one walk and nine strikeouts.
The Tigers scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning when first baseman Jared Jones tripled and later scored when Cushing misplayed centerfielder Mac Bingham’s ground ball.
The Musketeers tied the contest in the top of the fifth on an RBI groundout by designated hitter Hayden Christiansen, and Xavier took the lead in the sixth on Cushing’s one-out RBI singled to center field.