LSU edges Bryant 4-3 to sweep series

Antoine Duplantis singled home Zach Watson with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning to give LSU a 4-3 victory against Bryant at The Box on Sunday afternoon.

HOW THEY SCORED

LSU first inning – Josh Smith and Watson singled. Smith advanced to third and Watson moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Duplantis. Daniel Cabrera was intentionally walked to load the bases. Smith scored on a sacrifice fly to the centerfielder by Saul Garza. Watson scored on a single by Gavin Dugas. LSU 2, BRYANT 0

Bryant fourth inning – With one out, Jimmy Titus walked and stole second. Titus went to third on a ground out to the shortstop by Chris Wright. Titus scored on a double by Sam Owens. LSU 2, BRYANT 1

LSU fourth inning – With one out, Dugas walked and Hal Hughes singled. Dugas advanced to third when Brock Mathis hit into a force out at second base. Dugas scored when second baseman Jake Gustin made a wild throw to first in an attempt for a double play. LSU 3, BRYANT 1

Bryant sixth inning – Ryan Ward singled. After Titus struck out, Ward moved to second on a passed ball by Mathis and stole third. After Wright lined out to the second baseman, Ward scored on Owens’ single. Owens stole second and scored on a single by Gaby Cruz. BRYANT 3, LSU 3

LSU seventh inning – With two out, Watson singled and stole second. Watson scored on a single by Duplantis. LSU 4, BRYANT 3

LSU PLAYER OF THE GAME

Watson had two hits and scored two of the Tigers’ four runs. He singled and scored on Dugas’ two-out single in the first. Watson had a two-out single in the seventh. He stole second and scored the game-winning run on Duplantis’ hit. Watson went 2-for-4. Batting second in the lineup the last two games, Watson is 4-for-6 with a walk. He had only three hits while batting fifth in the order in the first five games.

KEY TEAM STATISTICS

Hits: LSU 8, Bryant 7

Errors: Bryant 1, LSU 1

Left on base: Bryant 7, LSU 6

Runners in scoring position: Bryant 3-for-11, LSU 2-for-8

Double plays: Bryant 0, LSU 0

Stolen bases: Bryant 6, LSU 2

Walks issued: LSU 2, Bryant 3

Strikeouts recorded: LSU 8, Bryant 7

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

LSU

Zach Watson: 2-for-4, 2 runs scored

Josh Smith: 2-for-4, 1 run scored

Jaden Hill: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Todd Peterson: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 K

BRYANT

Gaby Cruz: 2-for-3, 1 RBI

Sam Owens: 2-for-4, 1 run scored, 2 RBIs, 1 2B

Steve Theetge: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

NOTES

LSU’s starting batting order was Smith, SS; Watson, CF, DH; Duplantis, RF; Cabrera, LF; Garza, DH; Dugas, 1B; Hughes, 3B; Mathis, C; Brandt Broussard, 2B. Dugas’ start was his first of the season. . .Both Smith and Cabrera extended their hitting streaks to seven games. . .The Tigers stranded five runners in scoring position. On two occasions, Cabrera made the third out with a runner at second. . .Hill delivered another good outing for the Tigers. Only once in his five innings did Hill retire the side in order. In three innings, he stranded a runner in scoring position. Titus grounded out with a runner on third to end the first. Cruz grounded out with a runner on second and two out in the fourth. Hill struck out Gustin with a runner on third to end the fifth. . .Matthew Beck was unable to protect LSU’s two-run lead in the sixth. Beck allowed three singles – two of which drove in runs. . .Aaron George picked up his first victory. He struck out three of the four batters he faced. . .Peterson ended the game by getting James Ciliento to pop out to Broussard with the tying run at second base. . .Bryant stole six bases. Opposing teams are 16-for-16 in steals against the Tigers. . .LSU has won three one-run games this season. The Tigers beat both Army and Southeastern Louisiana 6-5. . .LSU is 7-0, while Bryant is 2-4. . .The paid attendance was 10,306.

UP NEXT

LSU will play host to South Alabama at The Box on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Central. The Jaguars (4-2) completed a three-game sweep of Tennessee Tech with a 10-2 victory Sunday afternoon in Mobile. Eric Walker will be the starting pitcher for the Tigers. The LSU-South Alabama game will be available on the SEC Digital Network.