LSU Beats DBU 7-3

Statement win but room to grow

The #2 Tigers of LSU (8-1) picked up by far and away its best win of the college baseball season with a 7-3 win against #17 Dallas Baptist Wednesday night at Globe Life Field.

Connor Ware got the start for LSU and was perfect through four innings. His 60th pitch ended up being his last as he did give up a leadoff home run in the fifth inning, but aside from one bad pitch Ware was brilliant. He did not factor into the decision but his final line of 4 IP, one hit, one run, and six strikeouts is easily the most impressive outing an LSU pitcher’s had this season, especially considering the level of competition.

Zac Cowan came on in relief of Ware and was credited with the win. Cowan pitched three innings and while he also gave up a home run in the fifth, he also had a solid outing: three IP, two hits, five strikeouts versus one walk.

Cooper Williams took the mound in the eighth inning and was pulled after just 11 total pitches. Williams walked the only two batters he faced and Jay Johnson turned to Casan Evans who, once again, recorded the six-out save. Evans pounded the strike zone throwing 17 of his 22 pitches for strikes and did not allow any of the five batters he faced to reach base.

Evans needed some help from his defense to escape the jam, and Jared Jones obliged with an inning ending double play to first. A liner was shot right into his glove, and Jones stepped on first to end the eighth.

LSU led from the jump, thanks to an RBI double in the first inning by Bear Jones that scored Derek Curiel. Curiel, batting leadoff, was excellent at the top of the lineup, reaching base five total times; he was 2-3 at the plate with a double, drew two walks, and was also hit by a pitch.

Daniel Dickinson is another new face that’s made an impact since Opening Day and was the star of the night with a pair of hits including a two-run home run in the fifth inning.

LSU appeared to have blown the game open in the fifth inning with four total runs. Prior to Dickinson’s homer, Ethan Frey came on to pinch hit and had an RBI double to score Curiel; and LSU’s fourth run of the inning came courtesy of John Pearson who came on to pinch hit for Jake Brown.

After DBU got some momentum back with their three-run fifth inning, LSU regained control of the game by pushing across two runs in the sixth. Dickinson was able to reach by way of an error, and that allowed Curiel to score for the third time of the evening; and finally, Luis Hernandez hit a sac fly to centerfield that allowed Jones to come home for LSU’s seventh and final run of the contest.

There’s a lot to like about what LSU did, but the Tigers weren’t perfect. While LSU led for the entirety of the game and the offense scored seven runs and compiled 12 hits, the Tigers left 15 runners on base. DBU pitching gave LSU 10 free baserunners—nine walks and a hit batter—but the Tigers left the bases loaded twice, and left two runners on in three other innings.

Chris Stanfield alone was responsible for stranding seven of those 15 runners left on base. He finished the night 0-4 with a pair of strikeouts, both of which came when LSU had the bases loaded. Baseball’s a long season and he’ll likely still start in centerfield because of his speed, glove, and the fact that he’s had multiple years of facing SEC pitching, but he also currently leads LSU with seven strike outs and Jay Johnson has a lot of depth in the outfield to make a change if necessary.

All that being said, this is still a very good win for LSU. The Tigers went on the road to play a top-20 team at a Major League stadium and never trailed. The bats were able to reach base 22 times, and the Tiger pitching only allowed three total hits. You learned a lot more about LSU in this one game against DBU than you did in the first eight against Purdue Fort Wayne, Omaha, Southern, and Nicholls.

“I thought it was a great game for our team,” Johnson said. “I love that so many guys are able to make a positive contribution. I thought we were really tough-minded; we had a little bit of adversity, but the response and the togetherness of our players were outstanding. We have something really good going with this team right now.”

We’ll keep learning about this 2025 LSU team this weekend as the Tigers will stay in Texas to partake in the Frisco College Classic. LSU will play Kansas State on Friday, Nebraska on Saturday, and Sam Houston State on Sunday.