West Virginia Hammered in the Baton Rouge Super Regional Opener
Baton Rouge, LA – In a brutal display of power and precision, the LSU Tigers dismantled West Virginia in the opening game of the Baton Rouge Super Regional on Friday night, cruising to a resounding 14-3 victory. The Mountainers’ postseason hopes took a sharp hit as their pitching staff faltered on the grand stage, yielding 13 baserunners and paying the price in the most punishing fashion.
From the first pitch, it was clear that LSU came prepared not just to win—but to dominate. Right-hander Blake Money set the tone early, striking out the side in the top of the first. Then came the avalanche.
In the bottom half of the inning, LSU wasted no time loading the bases on a walk, a single, and a hit-by-pitch. West Virginia starter Carson Estridge looked rattled, and cleanup hitter Gavin Guidry made him pay. Guidry worked the count full before blasting a towering grand slam deep into the left-field bleachers, sending the Alex Box Stadium crowd into a frenzy and giving the Tigers a 4-0 lead before an out was recorded.
West Virginia attempted to steady the ship, scraping across a run in the top of the second on a solo homer by junior third baseman JJ Wetherholt, who had two of WVU’s six hits on the night. But LSU answered immediately. A two-out double by freshman phenom Cade Beloso in the bottom of the second drove in two more, and the Mountainers never recovered.
By the fourth inning, West Virginia had already gone to its third pitcher. Control issues plagued the entire bullpen, with three wild pitches and six walks compounding their misery. LSU’s hitters, as dangerous as any lineup in the nation, showed no mercy.
The knockout blow came in the fifth when first baseman Tommy White stepped to the plate with the bases loaded—again. White, who leads the Tigers in home runs, turned on a 2-1 fastball and launched a moonshot to center field for LSU’s second grand slam of the game. The scoreboard read 12-2, and the rout was officially on.
LSU’s offensive clinic overshadowed a lights-out performance by sophomore pitcher Ty Floyd, who went seven strong innings, allowing just two runs on five hits while striking out eight. His fastball lived in the upper 90s, and West Virginia’s hitters never seemed comfortable.
WVU managed one more run in the eighth, but the game was long out of reach. With their backs against the wall, the Mountainers now face elimination in Game 2 of the best-of-three series. Head coach Randy Mazey called the loss “a gut check.”
“This wasn’t us,” Mazey said postgame. “We’ve got to bounce back, forget the scoreboard, and remember who we are.”
LSU, meanwhile, looks every bit like a national title contender. If Game 1 was any indication, the Tigers have both the firepower and the composure to go deep in Omaha.
Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday at 6:00 PM, with LSU just one win away from punching their ticket to the College World Series.
