LSU stars shine bright as it takes the series opener against Wichita State 6-1
The LSU baseball team received a big night from its big-time players, which was more than enough to beat Wichita State 6-1 in a rain-delayed series opener Friday at Alex Box Stadium.
Among the stars who shined brightest for LSU (10-4) were Cole Freeman (2 for 3, two runs), Antoine Duplantis (3 for 4, two runs), Greg Deichmann (2 for 4, four RBIs) and Alex Lange.
A week after getting shelled by TCU in Houston, Lange turned in a simply dominant performance on the mound against the Shockers (8-4).
“His confidence doesn’t fluctuate depending on what he did his outing before, his pitch before, his inning before,” LSU coach Paul Mainieri said. “He just is the consummate winner. … Tonight, he was awesome.”
He faced the minimum through seven innings, erasing the lone hit he gave up in that span by starting a 1-6-3 double play to the next hitter he faced. He finished the night having allowed just two base runners in eight scoreless innings.
Lange struck out nine batters Friday night and had full command of his entire repertoire. His 74th pitch was a 95-mph fastball, and his 75th pitch was an 83-mph curveball he spiked in the dirt for his eighth strikeout to end the sixth inning.
“If you can command all three (pitches) for strikes early in the count, it just expands the zone,” Lange said. “The zone gets six inches bigger left and right, up and down.”
