LSU RHP Luke Holman (1-0) shined on this blustery day in Baton Rouge. Holman, the Alabama transfer struck out 10 Central Arkansas Bears in 5.1 innings of work at Alex Box allowing just 3 hits and walking only one.
But his work in the 4th inning earned him the LSU Magic Moment from Coach Jay Johnson. After allowing a leadoff double to First Baseman AJ Mendolia and a single to Bryce Cermenelli, Holman proceeded to Strike Out Curtis, Shipley and Sturgeon to preserve the 1-0 lead. “Luke is just the consummate pitcher,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “He’s in control of himself, and he executes all of his pitches for strikes. I’m super proud of him today.”
For the Tigers it was a much-improved defensive effort. In a game that was sloppily played yesterday, today’s game was anything but. We wrote yesterday about the need to keep an eye on Paxton Kling “Kong” the Tigers Center Fielder. This catch shows 2 of the 5 tool player’s attributes.
Jared “Bear” Jones made it two Home Runs in as many games with a beautiful opposite field bomb to give the Tigers their final 2-0 margin. Bear had a Three Run shot in the season opener and the Sophomore is proving he will be a key component to the LSU Powerhouse in 2024.
Behind the dish, the Tiger’s catchers continue to excel after Milazzo and Neal threw out 3 of 4 would be base stealers yesterday, H8den (It’s gonna stick) Travinski with a perfect throw to Steve “Monster” Milam who got the start at 2b.
With the win, the Tigers move to 2-0 on the young season and are set to take on the Keydets (1-1) of VMI once again on Sunday with another 1 pm start at Alex Box.
Coach Jay Johnson on the Tigers’ 2-0 win: “It was a really good win for our team,” Johnson said. “We’re really excited about our pitching staff, and I’m very proud of the way our guys executed today.”
The Tigers return to action at 1 p.m. CT Sunday when they play host to VMI at ‘The Box.’ The game will streamed on SEC Network+ and broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network.
