LSU baseball continued its busy first week by handing Kent State its first loss of the year with a 10-7 win Monday night.
LSU’s offense took the spotlight, scoring a run in each of the first six innings with four home runs in a game for the first time since June 2, 2025 against Little Rock in the regional final.
Jake Brown continued his hot streak with a two-out home run in the bottom of the first to open the scoring on a cool Monday night. In his next at-bat, which came in the third inning, he launched another ball out of the yard to pour gasoline on his fiery start to the season.
“I just felt like he could get to that great player ceiling, and he certainly has been through four games this season,” head coach Jay Johnson said. “It definitely changes our team.”
It was hard to tell if the crowd was louder for either of Brown’s home runs, or for when 295-pound Zach Yorke stole second base. He also scored from second on a single when a Trent Caraway grounder got through the infield.
“I told the players my heart was singing,” Johnson said with a big smile.“
Yorke has made it known that he and others see his quickness as something to not discredit him for.
“A lot of my teammates tell me that I move like a cat over there,” Yorke said before the season about his agility at first base.
He showed that his quickness wasn’t confined to his defense Monday.
Mason Braun continued the scoring, making it a home run fest when he went opposite field for his first collegiate home run, adding three runs to the board in the second inning. The freshman kept popping up this year as a name to watch and got his second career start Monday, as he continues to adjust well to college ball.
“It’s the same game,” Braun said. “That’s what I gotta remind myself. You just got to play the same game how you always did as a little kid.”
Yorke’s power joined his quickness as the fan favorite hit his second home run of the year, this one a gift to the students in right field.
The Golden Flashes decided that the home run party was all inclusive, and got in on the action in the third inning. Jaden Noot let two batters on base with a single and a walk, before Sawyer Solitaria hit a no-doubter to the left field landing.
Johnson said that Solitaria is the only player hotter than Jake Brown.
Kent State came into this game having scored a combined 33 runs in its three games against Southeastern Louisiana during opening weekend. Its hitters showcased strong abilities in the batters box, and kept challenging Noot.
The righty pitcher has been one of the more underrated members of the LSU staff coming into the year, but didn’t live up to expectations in his first outing this year.
He struggled with command, only getting strikes in 32 of his 59 pitches. Noot walked three batters but also recorded four strikeouts in his three innings of work.
The bullpen started working early and locked down the Golden Flashes’ bats outside of a shaky seventh inning.
“I think it was this close,” Johnson said while indicating a very small margin with his fingers, “to an outstanding performance from the pitching staff.”
Ethan Plog logged his first inning of the year with two strikeouts and got credited with the win. Deven Sheerin had the same line in the fifth. Mavrick Rizy pitched one inning and got outs by way of the ground, air and a strikeout.
DJ Primeaux came in and let two runners on before Grant Fontenot allowed a single and bases-clearing double to keep it within one swing. Gavin Guidry had to come in and slam the door shut to keep it from getting too out of hand.
The bullpen at least had a fluffy cushion as the LSU offense kept getting runners on base and advancing around the basepaths. Trent Caraway, Tanner Reaves and Cade Arrambide all picked up RBIs to keep the game in LSU’s hands.
“I thought the professional at bats is what I liked the most,” Johnson said. “Tanner, he gave us a big lift tonight.”
Guidry struck out the side in the eighth and came back out in the ninth to get the save. Overall, he struck out five batters over 2.1 innings of work, allowing no base runners.
“[With Guidry] there’s a competitive character that is as high as anybody I’ve ever [coached],” Johnson said.
LSU’s opening week continues Wednesday, as they face Nicholls at home. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.