An Ethan Surowiec grand slam in the top of the first inning highlighted a six-run onslaught that helped to propel Florida baseball to an 11-8 victory over the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge on Thursday night.
Things got going from the first pitch, as Kyle Jones singled off starter Danny Lachenmayer’s opening offering, followed by a single from Brendan Lawson and a walk to Blake Cyr. That set the table for Surowiec’s four-run homer, plating all four of the first Florida batters of the frame.
Landon Stripling then doubled with one out, followed by walks by Cade Kurland and Cash Strayer to load the bases for a second time. Turning the order back over to Jones, the leadoff hitter singled to bring in two more Gators across the plate.
Florida added a run in the fourth and fifth frames on RBI singles from Cyr and Stripling, respectively. A bases-loaded walk by Haden Yost followed by a wild pitch accounted for the two runs in the seventh; another bases-loaded free pass to Kurland brought in a run in the eighth to close out the offensive effort.
Gators starter Aidan King went 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits — including a home run — and two walks while striking out seven Tigers hitters. He earned the win despite one of his weaker efforts of the second half, but fortunately, the bats were hot.
Jackson Barberi relieved King and gave Kevin O’Sullivan 1 2/3 innings and was charged with a pair of runs, while Billy Barlow struck out and hit a batter in his 1/3 frame of work, and Ernesto Lugo-Canchola issued a walk in his 2/3 of an inning— but both held LSU scoreless in the eighth.
Ricky Reeth came in to close out the ninth inning, and a defensive blunder after a leadoff single brought in a run, making things too interesting for O’Sullivan. He replaced the lefty with Joshua Whritenour, who surrendered an RBI double to bring the Tigers within three.
But Whritenour got out No. 3 before any more damage could be done, and thus, the Orange and Blue secured a victory on Thursday night, improving its season mark to 35-18 overall and 16-12 against SEC foes.
The series continues on Friday night inside Alex Box Stadium as the Gators and Tigers battle in Game 2. First pitch is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET and the game will once again be broadcast on the SEC Network+, with streaming available via ESPN+.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida baseball uses 6-run 1st inning to outlast LSU in series opener
Reporting by Adam Dubbin, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
