Jared Jones drives in seven as LSU downs Texas A&M, 12-7

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Freshman designated hitter Jared Jones blasted a three-run homer and collected seven RBI Saturday as top-ranked LSU defeated No. 11 Texas A&M, 12-7, at Blue Bell Park.

LSU won its 13th straight game and improved to 18-1 overall, 2-0 in the SEC. Texas A&M dropped to 13-6 overall and 0-2 in

Bear Bomb‼️@bearjones_3 | SECN+ pic.twitter.com/EQPdbUbn6e

— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) March 18, 2023

The Tigers’ win streak is their longest since the 2017 club won 17 straight games. LSU’s 18-1 record is its best through 19 games since 2013, when the Tigers also posted an 18-1 mark.

The teams conclude the series at 1 p.m. CT Sunday in a game that will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network and streamed on SEC Network +.

Jones was 4-for-5 at the plate with a three-run homer, a walk and seven RBI in pacing LSU’s 13-hit output.

“We had really good plate discipline and really hit mistakes well today,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “Jared is super talented, and his biggest evolution is he’s really improved mentally. Just watching him slow the game down with runners on base gives me a lot of peace of mind. He’s in control of himself, so you know you’re going to get a quality at-bat. When a guy is that big, that strong and that physical, and he’s locked in, the results are going to be really good, and they were really good today.”

LSU reliever Garrett Edwards (3-0) earned the win in relief, entering the game in the fourth inning and limiting the Aggies to one run on three hits in 3.1 innings with three walks and five strikeouts.

“Garrett has been a big story for our team,” Johnson said. “We knew he was talented, but the way he’s throwing quality strikes and quality innings is awesome. What he’s doing is helping us in a big way.

Texas A&M reliever Matt Dillard (0-2) was charged with the loss, as he surrendered three runs on four hits in 0.1 inning.

The Aggies bolted to a 4-0 lead against LSU starter Ty Floyd by scoring two runs in both the second and third innings.

LSU, however, responded with a six-run fourth inning, as the Tigers sent 10 batters to the plate. The outburst was highlighted by three straight two-out, run-scoring hits – a two-run single by third baseman Tommy White, a two-run double by leftfielder Josh Pearson and a two-run single by Jones.

The Aggies narrowed the gap to 6-5 with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning, but LSU expanded the lead in the sixth when Jones launched a three-run homer, his team-high seventh dinger of the year.

The Tigers scored three more runs in the seventh as White contributed an RBI single, and Jones added a two-run single to give him a career-best seven RBI for the game.

Floyd pitched the first 3.1 innings for the Tigers and was charged with three earned runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

Relievers Riley Cooper and Blake Money followed Edwards on the mound and combined to limit the Aggies to one run on three hits over the final 2.1 innings.