Four home runs power No. 23 LSU past Tennessee

Tennessee entered its series with LSU on a three-game winning streak, but the Tigers squashed any hopes of extending that Friday night, jumping out to an early lead and eventually beating the Volunteers 9-3.

LSU leadoff hitter Beau Jordan crushed the first pitch thrown by Tennessee starter Garrett Crochet off the scoreboard in left field to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead after just one pitch.

After Crochet hit a batter and allowed a base hit, Austin Bain singled through the right side to make it 2-0 Tigers. Daniel Cabrera drove in another run for LSU on an RBI groundout to give LSU a 3-0 lead after the first inning.

The first pitch LSU saw in the second inning had the same result as the one in the first—a mammoth home run, this time from Jake Slaughter. After an RBI groundout from Antoine Duplantis and another RBI single from Austin Bain, LSU led 6-0 in the second inning.

LSU switched things up in the third inning, this time starting the inning with back-to-back home runs from Hunter Feduccia and Jake Slaughter—his second—to put LSU up 8-0.

Garrett Crochet lasted two innings, giving up eight earned runs on 10 hits with one walk and one strikeout.

Nico Mascia produced an RBI groundout in the fourth inning to get Tennessee on the board. It was the only run allowed by LSU starter Zack Hess, who threw seven innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run with eight strikeouts and one walk.

Austin Bain extended the LSU lead to 9-1 in the eighth with his third RBI of the game.

Evan Russell put a couple more runs on the board for the Vols, launching a two-run homer in the ninth inning to make the score 9-3, but that is where the rally would finish.

The two teams will play the second of a three-game series at 9 p.m. on Saturday. Garrett Stallings (4-2, 3.13 ERA) will take the ball for Tennessee and square off against Ma’Khail Hilliard (6-2, 1.34 ERA) for LSU.