EUNICE, La. – If anything could go wrong, it did early on Friday night for LSU Eunice Baseball. The Bengals (31-2) shook off a cold start to their series opener against Southeast Arkansas to snag an 11-2 win at Bengal Stadium.
LSUE found itself in an early hole as the Sharks connected on four hits to plate two runs in the opening inning. Southeast Arkansas would manage just three hits for the remainder of the game after
Blake Lobell (Holden, LA, Springfield HS) settled in to improve to 9-0 on the season.
Lobell would go 6.2 innings, giving up just two earned runs off five hits and two walks. The sophomore struck out double digit batters for the second time this season, fanning 10.
Nick Gisclair (Prairieville, LA, Dutchtown HS) pitched the final 2.1 innings, giving up two hits and three walks around two strikeouts.
The Bengals trudged through missed opportunities on the offensive end early, leaving the bases loaded twice in the first four innings. LSUE inched towards getting back on track offensively beginning in the third inning after
Weston Fulk (Ankeny, IA, Ankeny HS) rifled a laser line drive to left center to score
Dawson Willis (Ruston, LA, Ruston HS).
LSUE would turn up the pressure in the fifth, recording seven runs off nine hits and blow the game open.
Andrew Lee (Lafayette, LA, Ascension Episcopal HS) gave the Bengals the lead for good with a critical two-run single.
Bennett Clement (St. Francisville, LA, West Feliciana HS), Dawson Willis,
Tyson LeBlanc (Maurice, LA, North Vermilion HS), Weston Fulk and
Collin Husser (Ponchatoula, LA, Ponchatoula HS) would all bring in RBIs on base hits in the fifth.
Willis continued his midseason surge, finishing a home runs shy of the cycle while accounting for five runs. He would score on a wild pitch in the seventh and bring in the final run of the game on an eighth inning bases loaded walk. He was joined by Fulk, Husser, Lee and
Alex Dupuy (Natchitoches, LA, Natchitoches Central HS) with multi-hit games as the Bengals racked up 16 hits which included seven extra-base hits.
The Bengals continue their series with a Saturday doubleheader against Southeast Arkansas slated for a 1:00PM start from Bengal Stadium.
