Pearson’s slam caps LSU sweep of North Alabama

Veteran Josh Pearson’s two-out grand slam capped a six-run sixth inning as LSU cruised to a 11-5 victory to complete a weekend sweep of North Alabama Sunday.

The Tigers (16-1) won their 11th straight game in the last weekend before Southeastern Conference play. It’s LSU’s  longest winning streak since the 2003 national championship team won 13 in a row from late February into mid-March.

Pearson’s blast was LSU’s third home run of the game.

The Tigers took an early 4-0 lead in the first inning highlighted when Jared Jones had a two-run bomb deep, his sixth, into the rightfield bleachers.

They added two more runs in the inning on Jake Brown’s RBI single, followed by Steven Milam scoring from third when Brown was thrown out on an attempted steal of second base.

“We had three two-strike hits in that inning including Jared’s home run, and then Steven hit a ball to left … and got off to a good start,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “That gives you a little bit of breathing room.”

LSU starter Chase Shores (4-0) was in and out of trouble for most of his five innings and 94 pitches, limiting the Lions to two runs despite giving up nine hits while striking out four.

“Nine hits and two runs,” Johnson said. “That means the pitcher did a good job of executing the most important pitches of the game.”

Four of the Lions’ hits came in the third inning when they got two runs on a pair of RBI singles.

But the bases were still loaded with one out when Shores limited the damage with a soft fly ball back to the mound and a strike out.

“When he limits free passes, there’s always a way out with him,” Johnson said. “When your pitcher is throwing strikes, not giving the free bases up … really good job there.”

Milam hit a solo home run in the fourth, before the Tigers put the game away in the big sixth.

Leadoff man Derek Curiel third of four walks forced in a run and, one batter later, Daniel Dickinson delivered an RBI single that kept the bases loaded.

That brought up Pearson, who hit the first pitch deep into the right field bleachers, his second home run of the weekend and the first grand slam of his four-year career.

Four LSU relievers threw an inning apiece and gave up three runs, although all were unearned due to a pair of errors after Johnson emptied the bench.

Connor Binge, Jaden Noot, Cooper Williams and Chandler Dorsey each struck out two batters to give the Tiger pitching  10 for the game and 41 for the weekend.

 

 

 

 

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