Luke Holman Ks 10 As LSU Beats Xavier 4-0

PAUL SKENES IS THAT YOU????

Folks I’m working on a little conspiracy here: I think Luke Holman might actually be Paul Skenes in disguise.

Holman pitched six shutout innings Friday night as LSU (13-1) beat Xavier (7-7) 4-0. Holman struck out 10, walked two, and did not allow a hit.

“Luke’s a great pitcher, he’s one of the best pitchers in the country,” Jay Johnson said. “We’re very thankful he’s here, and I think everybody is starting to see what we knew when we brought him here. He’s a true ace and a true Friday starter.”

In four starts this season Holman is 4-0. What’s more, he’s got a 0.00 ERA, opponents are hitting .103 against him, and he has 40 strikeouts versus four walks. I’m not saying Skenes is wearing a Mission: Impossible Luke Holman mask, I’m just saying…

Christian Little and Griffin Herring came on to finish the game, and Herring was credited with the save. Herring worked the final 1.1 innings where he did not allow a baserunner to reach and struck out three. It’s the first save of the season for Herring.

“Really proud of Christian and Griffin tonight,” Johnson said. “The story of the night is our pitching staff and the shutout, and I really like what all three pitchers did whenever they got into a jam. Christian made an excellent pitch to induce a double play ball in the seventh, and that’s the sharpest Griffin has looked all year, and that’s really great to see.”

As for the Tiger offense, it was a somewhat sleepy Friday night. LSU scored a pair of runs in the first and second innings and that’s all that was needed for the night. Brady Neal got LSU on the board first with an RBI double, and Hayden Travinski brought home run No. 2 with a sac fly.

In the second inning, Michael Braswell hit an RBI triple to push LSU’s lead to 3-0, and then Braswell was brought home thanks to an RBI double by Steven Milam.

Saturday will be a busy day for LSU athletics. The baseball team looks to claim the series over Xavier at 5:00, and about an hour later the women’s basketball team will take on Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament semifinals. At the same time baseball gets started, the UNDEFEATED LSU softball team will try to win its SEC opening series against Kentucky (5:00 P.M., SEC Network+) and the night will be capped off as the men’s basketball team closes the regular season against Missouri (7:30 P.M., SEC Network). If you’re going to the baseball game you can use your ticket to get into the basketball game.