LSU Country

How It Happened: Gage Jump Catapults LSU To First-Round SEC Tourney Win Over Georgia

Gage Jump fires 7.0 innings to lift the Tigers to a 9-1 victory over the Bulldogs in Tuesday's win, Kentucky Wildcats up next.

Zack Nagy

Tigers starting pitcher Gage Jump 23 on the mound as the LSU Tigers take on the Vanderbilt Commodores at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge LA. Friday, April 5, 2024.
Tigers starting pitcher Gage Jump 23 on the mound as the LSU Tigers take on the Vanderbilt Commodores at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge LA. Friday, April 5, 2024. / SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA
In this story:

Gage Jump fires 7.0 innings to lift the Tigers to a 9-1 victory over the Bulldogs in Tuesday's win, Kentucky Wildcats up next.

HOOVER, Ala. – LSU left-hander Gage Jump limited Georgia to one run on four hits in 7.0 innings on Tuesday, as the Tigers posted a 9-1 win over the Bulldogs in the opening round of the SEC Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

LSU, which improved to 37-20 on the year, will face Kentucky at 9:30 a.m. CT Wednesday in the double-elimination round of the tournament. Georgia dropped to 39-15 overall and was eliminated from the SEC Tournament with Tuesday’s loss.

LSU has won 15 of its last 20 games overall, and the Tigers have posted victories in 11 of their 16 games against SEC teams.

Wednesday’s LSU-Kentucky game will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network, and it will be televised by the SEC Network.

Jump (6-1) tied his season high on Tuesday by firing 105 pitches, 75 for strikes. He allowed just one run on four hits in seven innings with one walk and seven strikeouts.

“We adjusted some things with Gage’s routine to make sure he was ready to pitch on four days’ rest,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “He’s one of the best pitchers in the country; a lot of people don’t know him because he had thrown only 14 innings in college prior to this season. He’s one of the best pitchers in college baseball, and he showed that today.”

Georgia starting pitcher Jarvis Evans (3-2) was charged with the loss, as he allowed two runs on three hits in 0.1 inning with two walks and no strikeouts.

LSU leftfielder Josh Pearson doubled and produced three RBI in the victory, while third baseman Tommy White and shortstop Michael Braswell III each provided three hits and one RBI.

Second baseman Steven Milam hit his fifth homer of the year and drove in two runs for the Tigers.

“We’re playing the best we’ve played all year, and we are one of the best teams in the country,” Johnson said. “We’ve got a great team that’s found its way. We’ve got a lot of new players that have found their way now, and we believe we have a very sustainable brand of baseball that we’ve been playing for the last 20 games.”

Pearson’s two-run single in the top of the first inning gave the Tigers a 2-0 advantage, and LSU extended the lead to 3-0 in the second when Pearson delivered an RBI groundout with the bases loaded.

Georgia narrowed the gap to 3-1 in the bottom of the second on an RBI single by catcher Fernando Gonzalez.

The Tigers struck for two runs in the fifth as Milam and catcher Alex Milazzo delivered RBI singles.

LSU added three in the ninth as Milam launched a lead-off homer, and Milazzo and White each contributed run-scoring singles.

Other LSU News:

The Bracket: The Full SEC Tournament Bracket, LSU Sneaks In After Impressive Weekend

LSU Football: No. 1 WR in America Dakorien Moore Decommits from LSU

Join the Community:

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Country: @LSUCountry_FN for all coverage surrounding the LSU program.

Published |Modified
Zack Nagy
ZACK NAGY

Zack Nagy is the Managing Editor and Publisher of LSU Country, a Sports Illustrated Publication. Nagy has covered Tiger Football, Basketball, Baseball and Recruiting, looking to keep readers updated on anything and everything involving LSU athletics. 

Home/Baseball