Stony Brook hands LSU first loss of season

BATON ROUGE, La. – Stony Brook right-hander Eddie Smink limited second-ranked LSU to one earned run through 5.0 innings Friday, as the Seawolves posted a 5-2 win over the Tigers in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

LSU dropped to 5-1 with its first loss of the season, while Stony Brook improved to 2-4.

The Tigers will return to action at 1 p.m. CT Saturday when they play host to Northern Illinois in a game that will be streamed on SEC Network + and broadcast on affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network.

Stony Brook will face Northwestern State at 6 p.m. CT Saturday in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.

Smink (1-1) worked 5.0 innings on Friday, allowing two runs – one earned – on three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.

“We did a good job early in the game driving up Smink’s pitch count,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson, “and we were on the verge of getting him out of the game, but we did not do that. I thought the turning point in the game came in the bottom of the third when he retired the side with only nine pitches. Then, our pitcher had to go right back out there, and they scored a run to take the lead.

“We need to do a better job offensively for our pitchers, and that’s something we’re typically good at, but we didn’t get it done today. We did get some lead-off hitters on later in the game, but we weren’t able to produce multiple good at-bats in a row.”

Left-hander Erik Paulsen pitched the final 4.0 scoreless innings to earn his first save of the season for the Seawolves. Paulsen allowed three hits and recorded one walk and two strikeouts.

LSU starting pitcher Thatcher Hurd (0-1) was charged with the loss, as he allowed three runs on six hits in 4.1 innings with four walks and eight strikeouts.

Stony Brook grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning when shortstop Matt Miceli produced an RBI single, and rightfielder Robert Taylor delivered an run-scoring double.

LSU tied the game in the bottom of the second when centerfielder Paxton Kling lifted a sacrifice fly and rightfielder Josh Pearson scored on an error by Stony Brook centerfielder Cam Santerre.

Kling was 2-for-3 on the day for the Tigers with one RBI.

Stony Brook scored the go-ahead run in the fourth when Santerre drew a bases-loaded walk, and the Seawolves extended their lead to 5-2 in the eighth on Taylor’s two-run double.