LSU Baseball Earns Too Close for Comfort 6-3 Win Over McNeese State

Tigers pick up clutch swings from Gavin Dugas, Jacob Berry to headline slow evening at the plate

LSU picked up a few clutch swings and elite pitching to help carry the way to a too close for comfort 6-3 midweek win over McNeese State.

LSU's (10-3) two biggest issues this season have been defense and bringing runners home, with one of those areas being much better against McNeese but the other stood out in a negative way. Starting with the defense, the Tigers made the routine plays and were much better throughout the night in that regards, which was likely a sight for soar eyes for Johnson and this team. 

The Tigers had racked up 26 total errors in their first 12 games so putting up a zero has to be a confidence boost in some way. One of the highlights of the evening was right fielder Jacob Berry making a diving effort on a ball in the sixth and ending the inning with a great grab and likely saved a run.

However, the other area of weakness was bringing baserunners home, something LSU also didn't do in Houston over the weekend and let bleed into this game against the Cowboys. LSU was able to get on base with relative ease but pop flys and aggressive base running decisions played a hand in the Tigers leaving nine runners on base.

At the plate, the offense was highlighted by a two run homer in the second by Gavin Dugas, his first of the season, with Dugas going 3-for-3 in the game. LSU would also get a hit here and a hit there from many in the order but the story was not being able to bring guys home. Jacob Berry would also provide some insurance late in the game with a solo blast in the seventh inning, home run No. 6 for the sophomore transfer on the season. 

To be fair and give some credit to McNeese, the Cowboys threw multiple pitchers who reached 90 mph on the radar gun, certainly tricking the offense for some time. The Tigers left the bases loaded in the second after the Dugas home run, squandering a prime opportunity to really pull away early. Instead the game stayed a two or one run outing through most of the game, putting a lot of pressure on the pitching staff. 

Sophomore Will Hellmers did a nice job of getting the Tigers on the right track, pitching three scoreless innings as the starter, with Sam Dutton and Paul Gervase throwing two innings of solid relief ball. The bullpen has continued to be a strength for the Tigers, with the team allowing just one run on four hits with 10 total strikeouts throughout the contest. 

LSU will now prepare for a three game series against Bethune-Cookman, the last non-conference series of the season.

(Photo courtesy of LSUsports)