The 2023 LSU baseball season has no lack of excitement behind the top-ranked Tigers, and a Tuesday-night showdown with Texas was no exception.
Well, at least if you fast-forward to the top of the 9th inning when Gavin Dugas stepped to the plate and belted a tie-breaking, 3-run homer that handed LSU it's 7th victory in 8 games.
Watch the thrilling moment below. Can't see the embed? Click here.
“That was awesome, a great at-bat by Gavin,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “To win games like this against a good team in an environment like this, your dudes have to be dudes, and he was in that moment."
The Tigers 2B was the hero in a combined shutout effort for the Tigers pitching staff behind Thatcher Hurd, who only went 4.2 innings while striking out four and allowing three hits. Lefty Nate Ackenhausen earned his first win of the season, going 3.1 innings in relief and allowing just one hit with four more strikeouts. Christian Little pitched a perfect 9th inning for his first save of the season. The Longhorns dropped to 3-5.
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It was already Dugas' third home run this season, and a return to form in that department could be a major bonus for an LSU team that already profiles to be an offensive juggernaut led by likely No. 1 overall pick Dylan Crews. That was the case in 2021, when Dugas belted 19 home runs and and drove in 66 RBIs to help lead the Tigers on an unlikely Super Regional run. But 2022 was a frustrating year with injuries and setbacks. Dugas appeared in just 39 games with five home runs and 25 RBIs in the first season under new head coach Jay Johnson.
Through nine games in 2023 he's batting .444 with those three homers and 7 RBIs.
"Gavin is tough-minded; he had some setbacks last year and going into this year, but he got himself ready to play, and he’s playing better now than he ever has," Johnson said. "All credit to him for his determination."
The Tigers are back in action at 6:30 p.m. on Friday at Alex Box Stadium when they host Butler.
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William Franques of LSU Athletics contributed to this report