lPLAYER OF THE GAME: LSU sophomore Caleb Gilbert was something of an emergency start, not part of the weekend rotation. He was no stranger to big moments, but the Tigers were just hoping he’d keep them in the game for four or five innings. Instead, he responded with one of the great CWS outings in LSU lore. He went 7.1 innings — the longest outing of his career — while allowing Oregon State just two hits. The Beavers were scoreless until the eighth when Michael Gretler hit a one-out home run.  While striking out seven with only one walk, Gilbert threw 97 pitches, 67 for strikes.

l BOTH SIDES NOW: LSU catcher Michael Papierski, a switch hitter, bombed a 3-run homer in the second inning batting left handed and added a solo shot in the fourth batting right handed. It was his third homer of the CWS as he hit one in LSU’s CWS opener against Florida State. He’s the first player ever to hit two home runs — from either side — in a single game in TD Ameritrade Park and the first since at least 1999, which is how far back the records go. Papierski said it was also the first time he’d hit one from each side in the game at any level of play.

l BEAU’S BOMB: With fans chanting, “Let’s Go Beau,” Lake Charles’ Beau Jordan slapped a solo home run down the left field line in the sixth inning. Jordan also had a two-out double in the second that set the stage for Papierski’s game-changer. The home run was his third RBI of the CWS and quite a contrast to the first two — they both came on sacrifice bunts. “I don’t mind laying down a bunt when coach asks,” Jordan said. He was fondling the home run ball as he spoke. It landed in the LSU bullpen and teammates out there made sure they got it to him as a keepsake. Jordan is the second Barbe grad to leave the yard at TD Ameritrade. Second baseman Jared Foster had one two years ago.

l NO MANIAC: But LSU closer Zach Hess was good enough to finish off Gilbert’s dominance by getting the final five outs of the game. He gave up his first hit in four appearances and walked a batter and struck out only two of the seven batters he faced. His fastball, which threatened 100 mph a couple times earlier, was in the low ‘90s Saturday.

l WHAT’S NEXT: After pulling off one of its more remarkable stunts in beating the No. 1 team in the country on back to back days, LSU gets Sunday off before beginning the best 2-of-3 championship series. It’s the Tigers’ seventh trip to the championship, the second since became a 3-game series instead of a single game. The Tigers have won the national championship every time they made the finals. “Let’s go win another,” head coach Paul Mainieri said.