An abbreviated preview today. I couldn't find an old version of Southern's logo that was sufficiently hi-res enough to use, So I'm just going to use this as a great excuse to post some Human Jukebox
Game 1
Score by Innings R H E ------------------------------------------- Southern.......... 011 000 000 - 2 6 1 LSU................. 500 302 01X - 11 14 0 -------------------------------------------
Box Score
It ended up being a blowout, but Southern put up a good fight last night and played with purpose for most of the game. Their pitching was not as bad as the numbers suggest and the game would have been a lot closer if not for some fielding mistakes that don't show up on the box score. Southern had 4 batters in last night's starting lineup that slug .400 or better. If this were last year, in this same back-to-back midweek situation with a monster division road series looming, I'd say Southern has a decent chance to catch LSU on a bad night.
But this is not last year's team. LSU's offense is completely unstoppable. It would be easier to list who on the roster is NOT in the midst of a 5 game or better hitting streak. Bregman is on pace to shatter the LSU season triples record. Katz leads the nation in RBIs by more than 10 over the next player. Even Jones is hitting decently again. I just don't see a way that LSU will even let this game be competitive for more than a few innings. We do know that Hunter Devall will start on the mound, followed by Johnny Allstaff. I wouldn't expect there to be too many pitchers used, if it can be avoided, though. The team will be hitting the bus tomorrow for Fayetteville and we'll certainly want a fresh set of arms. I would also expect some of the same starting lineups subs we saw last night as Mainieri seems to want to use these two game to find out who on his bench is dependable for the long road ahead.
For tonight's game(6:30pm start), video will be carried both on Cox Sports TV and in the GeauxZone. There is a threat of rain late, so lets hope they get this one in quickly.