The Recap: LSU Baseball Sweeps Purdue Fort Wayne, Captures 8-1 Game 3 Victory

Jay Johnson and Co. advance to 3-0 on the season, sweep the Mastodons during opening weekend.

May 26, 2024; Hoover, AL, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Jay Johnson watches the game during the championship game between Tennessee and LSU at the SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images / Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

BATON ROUGE, La. – Right-hander Chase Shores worked 5.0 innings Sunday in his first appearance on the mound in nearly two years, and designated hitter Ashton Larson drove in five runs as second-ranked LSU completed a weekend sweep with an 8-1 win over Purdue Fort Wayne in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

LSU improved to 3-0 on the season, while Purdue Fort Wayne dropped to 0-3.

LSU will play host to Southern at 2 p.m. CT Tuesday in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field in a game that will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network and streamed on SEC Network +.

Shores (1-0), who suffered a season-ending elbow injury in March 2023 and redshirted last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, threw 67 pitches in 5.0 innings on Sunday, limiting the Mastodons to one run on three hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.

“You’re not supposed to have favorites as a coach, but Chase is up there at the top,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “He’s a great person and a high-talent, high-ceiling arm that chose LSU as the place he wanted to be. When he got hurt in 2023, that was a thunderbolt, and he’s been through a lot. Just seeing how he’s gone about his work has been impressive.

“I’m really happy for Chase and obviously ecstatic to have him back has a huge contributor to our team.”

Purdue Fort Wayne starter Gavin Walters (0-1) was charged with the loss as he allowed five runs on four hits in 3.2 innings with five walks and two strikeouts.

Trailing 1-0 entering the bottom of the fourth inning, the Tigers struck for five runs as Larson blasted a three-run homer, his first of the season. The Tigers scored another run on a wild pitch, and leftfielder Derek Curiel provided an RBI single to punctuate the outburst and give LSU a 5-1 advantage.

LSU extended the lead to 6-1 in the fifth when third baseman Michael Braswell III delivered a run-scoring single.

LSU added two runs in the sixth as Larson drilled a two-run double to score first baseman Jared Jones and second baseman Daniel Dickinson.

Relievers Grant Fontenot, William Schmidt and Jaden Noot combined to blank the Mastodons over the final 4.0 innings, allowing two hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.

Schmidt, a true freshman right-hander, worked 2.2 innings and gave up just one hit with no walks and four strikeouts.

“I thought we had a good weekend,” Johnson said in evaluating the opening of the 2025 season. “I’m proud of our team, the pitching staff was excellent, and that takes a lot of pressure off the offense, and we have a good offense. So, that’s a good combination. We did a lot of good things, and I like the fact we were able to get a lot of guys into the games.”

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