BATON ROUGE, La. – Sophomore right-hander Landon Marceaux fired eight scoreless innings Saturday as No. 11 LSU defeated Eastern Kentucky, 6-3, at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.
With the win, LSU evens the series with the Colonels, setting up a rubber match game Sunday morning. The Tigers are now 4-3 on the season, while Eastern Kentucky drops to 4-1.
First pitch for the series finale is Sunday at 11 a.m. CT. The game will be available online via SEC Network+. Fans can also listen to the game on 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge or online at www.LSUsports.net/live [lsusports.net].
Marceaux (1-0) allowed just four hits as he worked a career-high eight innings on the mound to earn the win. He accumulated six strikeouts while walking none in the outing.
Marceaux fired 80 pitches, 63 for strikes.
“Landon’s performance was sorely needed by our team,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “He set the tone beginning with the first batter of the game, and he did a phenomenal job. He didn’t let anything bother him, and he pitched great. We were hoping to get six innings out of him today, and we ended up getting eight because his pitch count was so under control. He was a machine out there, he competed so hard.”
Devin Fontenot earned his second save of the season as he entered the game in the ninth inning to record the final three outs. Fontenot recorded two strikeouts in the inning while throwing 16 pitches in the frame.
Reliever Aaron George started the ninth on the mound for LSU and was charged with three runs on two hits.
Eastern Kentucky’s Jacob Ferris (0-1) was charged with the loss, as h eh pitched 7.2 innings, allowing four runs on five hits with seven strikeouts.
The Tigers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as right fielder Daniel Cabrera launched a two-run shot to right field, his first dinger of the season. Third baseman Zack Mathis scored in front of Beloso after he had lined a leadoff double to right field.
LSU added four runs in the bottom of the eighth to extend its lead to 6-0. Catcher Alex Milazzo drew a bases-loaded walk that scored Mathis from third. First baseman Cade Beloso followed with a bases-clearing double down the right field line that scored second baseman Gavin Dugas, Cabrera and Milazzo.
Eastern Kentucky responded with three runs in the ninth. Leftfielder Chris Botsoe and third baseman A.J. Lewis drew back-to-back walks before designated hitter Caleb Upshaw singled to left, allowing Botsoe to score from second. With Lewis at third, shortstop Logan Thomason singled to center to score Lewis.
Fontenot then entered the game, forcing second baseman Daniel Harris to ground out – which scored a run from third -- before recording back-to-back strikeouts of pinch hitter Christian Lucio and first baseman Charles Ludwick to preserve the victory.
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