Beau Jordan, center, hit a two-run homer in LSU's seven-run third inning.
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Fifteenth-ranked LSU (20-9, 5-5 SEC) used a shutout performance by junior southpaw Jared Poche and a seven-run third inning to overtake third-ranked Vanderbilt (24-6, 6-4 SEC), 13-4 in the opening game of the Southeastern Conference Series Thursday evening at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.
Poche’ fired seven innings of scoreless baseball to move to 4-3. The Lutcher, Louisiana native struck out eight to tie a career high and limited the Commodores to four hits.
Overall, LSU hitters exploded for 15 runs in the game against the Vanderbilt pitching staff, which holds the second-best ERA in the league. Beau Jordan and Greg Deichmann led the way for LSU with three hits a-piece.
Right fielder Antoine Duplantis led off the game with an infield single and advanced to third on an error by the second baseman. Duplantis scored the Tigers’ first run on an RBI groundout by centerfielder Jake Fraley. LSU made it a 2-0 game in the second on a sac fly by catcher Michael Papierski.
The Tigers batted around and put up seven runs in the third inning off of Vanderbilt starter Jordan Sheffield. With runners on first and second, Deichmann blasted a double off the wall in center field to score one run.
Shortstop Kramer Robertson followed with a one-out single up the middle to score Fraley and Beau Jordan lifted a two-run home run to left field to make it a 6-0 game.
With a runner on first, second baseman Cole Freeman cranked a two-out triple down the left –field line to push the lead to 8-0. With Freeman at third, Duplantis singled up the middle to finish off the seven-run frame.
LSU added another run in the sixth off the bat of Deichmann. With a runner on third, the junior shot a single up the middle to plate Duplantis.
In the eighth inning, the Tigers extended their lead to 13-0. After back-to-back single by pinch hitter Brody Wofford and Fraley, pinch hitter Bryce Jordan shot a ball of the glove of the third baseman that was ruled an error. The ball was lodged under the bullpen bench in left field to clear the bases.
The Commodores plated four runs in the top of the ninth to break up the shutout.
