LSU clinches series against Samford with a resounding 12-0 victory

LSU smashes five home runs en route to its fifth shutout victory of the year.

Top-ranked LSU smashed five home runs to beat Samford 12-0 to clinch the series.

LSU improved its record to 14-1 while Samford’s record fell to 6-8. LSU’s 14-1 start is its best through the first 15 games of the season since 2015, when the Tigers also went 14-1 during the first 15 games on their way to the College World Series.

Saturday’s shutout of Samford is LSU’s fifth of the season and its third in the last five games.

First baseman Jared Jones had another outstanding performance at the plate tonight. Jones went 2-for-3 at the plate and hammered two homers for the second consecutive game. Before he struck out in his third and final at-bat of the game Saturday night, Jones had homered four times in four straight plate appearances over the course of the two contests.

“All Jared has done the past two days is show how talented he is,” Johnson said. “ I’ve seen young players go in the tank after a couple of difficult games, but Jared has been really impressive, not just physically but the work that he put in mentally. When he’s in the right frame of mind, he’s seeing the ball, he’s got the bat speed, and he can hit the ball out to all parts of the field as we’ve seen the past two days.”

LSU center fielder Dylan Crews and designated hitter Tommy White both reached milestones in their outstanding careers at the collegiate level. Crews reached the 200-hit mark in his career when he singled in the fourth inning. White collected his 100th career hit in the fourth inning when he smashed a home run to the right field bleachers.

Right-hander Ty Floyd picked up his third win of the season. Floyd finished with no hits, three walks and six strikeouts in five innings pitched.

“Ty pitched great, throwing all of his pitches for strikes, and he usually ended up with a strikeout or weak contact,” said LSU head coach Jay Johnson.

Bulldog starter Brody Westbrooks (0-1) was charged with his first loss of the season after throwing 2.2 innings and allowing nine runs on seven hits. Four of the seven hits Westbrooks allowed were home runs.

In the first inning, LSU showed no mercy early on as the Tigers scored five runs. Crews got the Tigers on the board by hitting a two-run home run to right field, Tigers an early 2-0 lead. After White hit a double and catcher Brady Neal got on base due to him getting hit by a pitch, Jones hammered a three-run home run to right center field.

After a scoreless second inning, LSU came back and decided to launch two more bombs. Jones would smack a three-run home run over the right center wall. Jones’ second home run of the game would be his fourth home run in his last four at-bats. In the next at-bat for LSU, third baseman Brayden Jobert would follow Jones’ lead with a home run of his own, sending a solo shot to right field.

In the fourth inning, LSU would hit its fifth home run of the night due to a three-run home run by White to give the Tigers a 12-0 lead. White’s home run was his fourth of the year.

Left-hander Nate Ackenhausen came in relief for Floyd and tossed the remaining two innings, only allowing one hit and striking out three batters to close the game.

LSU will face off with Samford one more at Alex Box Stadium on Sunday at 11:00 a..m. CT.