LSU Baseball Capitalizes on Gem Performance From AJ Labas to Take Ole Miss Series With 7-2 Win
Behind another rock solid SEC start from AJ Labas, LSU was able to pounce on Ole Miss with late offense and consistent defense to win 7-2. Labas was the first pitcher this season to go the complete nine innings for the Tigers.
LSU (24-14, 6-11) had gone 2-of-14 with runners in scoring position prior to the ninth inning. But barely holding a 2-1 lead in the ninth, the Tigers put together one of the most clutch innings of the season.
A Tre Morgan single, Dylan Crews intentional walk and a bunt error loaded the bases for veteran Gavin Dugas. Dugas, who's arguably been LSU's most clutch hitter all season delivered with the swing of the series, a grand slam to left field.
It was the highlight of what would become a five run final inning for the purple and gold to pull away convincingly.
"Guys are learning, they're getting better and getting stronger mentally and physically," Dugas said. "You could see it in how we handle ourselves but I think we're gonna keep building on it."
The LSU offense was not without its opportunities in the first third of the game. In each of the first three innings, the Tigers were able to put the leadoff man on base but weren't able to bring a run home.
Leaving four runners on base, a total of five strikeouts in the first three innings was a significant contributing factor in keeping LSU off the scoreboard. However, a positive from the offense was its ability to drive up the pitch count of Doug Nikhazy, a veteran SEC starter who's one of the best in the conference.
In that same three inning stretch, Nikhazy's pitch count was driven all the way to 66 by the end of the third. By the fourth inning, Nikhazy had reached 82 pitches and caused some action in the Rebels bullpen, a group that had an 11.07 ERA over its last seven SEC games.
It was a mirror opposite start for AJ Labas, who retired eight of the first 10 batters he faced and was able to keep his pitch count relatively low throughout the evening in a complete game.
Labas has been steady throughout the SEC schedule but he really looked the part Friday evening, mixing his pitches well and forcing groundouts. While he can be high volume strikeout pitcher, he relied on his defense in this one, allowing nine hits and two runs on 126 pitches in nine innings of work on the evening.
The fourth inning was particularly inpressive as Labas allowed a pair of singles to lead off the inning that would put runners on the corners with no outs. But as he had done all evening, he forced a popup and double play ball to keep the Rebels off the board in a scoreless game.
"He's pitched great, courageously. He doesn't have overpowering stuff but he makes great pitches and competes so hard," Mainieri said. "He makes big pitches and when he gets in jams he doesn't give up. I shudder at where we'd be with out him and Landon [Marceaux]. They've been great leaders of our team.
"I felt strong all game and it's because I'm staying on top of my stuff to make sure I can go deep in games like this," Labas said.
Labas' stellar outing on the mound gave the offense enough time to find a rhythm, really coming through in the sixth inning when the first four batters reached base to bring in a total of two runs. Two successfully laid bunts by Giovanni DiGiacomo and Zach Arnold was just a little taste of the solid situational hitting during the inning.
Morgan also laid down an RBI infield single but a baserunning error kept the Tigers from doing further damage in a 2-0 ball game. After a solo home run in the Ole Miss side of the inning, LSU needed insurance runs and got them in a big way in the ninth.
For Mainieri, this series feels like a tide changing swing for a team that's had bad luck all season in close games.
"You keep encouraging the kids and telling them that they're close and they've been playing hard all year and kept a great attitude," Mainieri said. "When Landon has started and AJ has started, they've given us a chance to win and the guys have played well behind them. We've lost some hard games but our guys aren't demoralized."
LSU will look for the series sweep on Saturday afternoon.