Pitching and Homeruns Carry LSU Over Northwestern St
David Billiot Jr • April 16, 2026
LSU - 4, Northwestern St - 2
Tuesday Night Recap
Entering Tuesday on a 4-game losing streak, LSU was in desperate need of a win. That was apparent when Jay Johnson sent bullpen ace Zac Cowan to the mound to start the game. The Tigers have found themselves down early in plenty of midweek games this year, the emphasis was to try and prevent needing a comeback effort. Although it wasn’t a large deficit, LSU still fell behind after a 2nd inning homerun. Midweek pitching has been suspect for most of the season, but the staff was excellent against Northwestern. They struck out 16 Demon hitters, while only walking 2. Jay’s emphasis on winning the game was further proven by going to Deven Sheerin to close the game out, which he did.
While the pitching has struggled in the midweek games, the offense typically has not. Despite only scoring 7 in a loss to Bethune-Cookman a week ago, they had exploded for two double digit wins the previous two games. That was not the case this week, though. Although they recorded 9 hits, the situational offense was suspect, missing more opportunities as we’ve seen throughout the year. All 4 runs that LSU scored crossed home plate on homeruns. They only struck out 4 times, but as a whole, the Tigers were just underwhelming once again.
Pitching
Zac Cowan did what Jay Johnson was hoping for in the 1st, which was getting the Tigers off to a good start. After a flyout and an infield hit, the senior struck out back to back hitters to prevent the Demons from getting anything going. That changed in the 2nd, as Northwestern got a leadoff bloop single, but it was quickly erased on a double play. Demon right fielder Bryce Johnson lined out to John Pearson, who had all day to throw the runner out at 1st base with him attempting a steal. With 2 outs and a 3-2 count, Austrailian catcher Mason Wray blasted his first homerun of the season to Left Field Landing. Cowan would record a groundout back to himself to end the inning and with 34 pitches, he would not return for the 3rd inning.
- Final line: 2.0 IP / 3 hits / 1 run / 2 Ks / 0 BBs / 34 pitches (22 strikes, 65%)
Grant Fontenot was looking to bounce back from a rough start on Sunday, in which he only recorded an out in the 1st inning. His 3rd inning on Tuesday night was far better, though. He went 3-up, 3-down while striking out two. Returning for the 4th, he went 1-2-3 again, including a very nice slow-roller play by Brayden Simpson, who was lined up at shortstop in the shift. Another groundout and his third strikeout of the night got LSU right back in to the dugout with the Tigers looking for their first lead. After two fantastic innings, that would be the end for Fontenot.
- Final line: 2.0 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 3 Ks / 0 BBs / 32 pitches (23 strikes, 72%)
Reagan Ricken took the mound to start the 5th and gave up a first pitch single through the left side. He then threw the ball away on a pickoff attempt, which has happened far too often for Tiger pitching this season. A catcher’s interference would put runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs, setting up a sacrifice bunt. The Demons retook the lead on a groundout to Steven Milam, who had to make the play to 1st base. Ricken’s night would be over with 2 outs and a runner at 3rd.
- Final line: 0.2 IP / 1 hit / 1 run / 0 Ks / 0 BBs / 14 strikes (10 strikes, 71%)
Connor Benge entered to try and record the final out and with a lineout to Chris Stanfield, he did just that. He returned for the 6th and started off with a strikeout. A 1-out double on a groundball that took an awful hop on Mason Braun at 1st base would get a runner in to scoring position. Benge fought back with a strikeout, but that would be all. He has quietly put together some solid outings the past few weeks.
- Final line: 1.0 IP / 1 hit / 0 runs / 2 Ks / 0 BBs / 12 pitches (9 strikes, 75%)
With 2 outs in the 6th and a runner on 2nd, Jay turned to Cooper Williams. He came through with a strikeout and that was it for his night.
- Final line: 0.1 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 1 K / 0 BBs / 5 pitches (4 strikes, 80%)
Marcos Paz entered to start the 7th and was fantastic. He struck out the side on three full-counts. His 96 mph is some of the most effortless velocity that I’ve ever watched in person. He’s going to be a stud in this program. His night would end after the one flawless inning.
- Final line: 1.0 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 3 Ks / 0 BBs / 19 pitches (11 strikes, 58%)
Zion Theophilus took over for the 8th and issued the first walk of the game for LSU pitching. He threw one pitch to the second batter, a foul ball, then was removed. There wasn’t a trainer out on the field, so it appeared as if Jay just didn’t like what he saw:
- Final line: 0.0 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 0 Ks / 1 BB / 5 pitches (1 strike, 20%)
Santiago took over for Theophilus and struck out his first hitter. A wild pitch and an error on John Pearson put runners on the corners with 1 out, then a walk loaded the bases. Jay, visibly frustrated, scurried out of the dugout to make another pitching change.
- Final line: 0.1 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 1 K / 1 BB / 12 pitches (6 strikes, 50%)
Badly needing to win a game, Jay had to turn to Deven Sheerin with the bases loaded and only 1 out. As he always does, he came through with a massive strikeout and then a pop out in foul territory to Pearson to end Northwestern’s biggest threat since the 5th. He returned for the 9th and blew right through the Demon lineup, striking out the side to close out the 4-2 win.
- Final line: 1.2 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 4 Ks / 0 BBs / 25 pitches (16 strikes, 64%)
Hitting
Jake Brown had the biggest swing of the night. While down 2-1 in the 5th, a baserunning error threatened to waste a giant opportunity. But the star outfielder stepped up and blasted a 3-run homerun to take the lead. That was his 16th homerun of the season, which doubles his total from 2025. I asked Brown after the game about the power surge and if that was a conscious effort in the offseason, to which he confirmed that it was to try and fill the power void of Jared Jones and Ethan Frey having moved on to the MLB.
Speaking of homeruns, Brayden Simpson transferred to LSU from High Point after hitting 22 homeruns a year ago. Not that anyone realistically expected him to come close to that total, it has been slightly surprising that he had yet to leave the yard this year. That all changed on Tuesday night when he hit a 425 foot bomb off of the batter’s eye in center field to tie the game. After his big swing that extended LSU’s 7-run inning on Sunday, Simpson has strung together a few games of good at bats. Unfortunately, it was him who had the big baserunning blunder prior to Brown’s homerun. It was a play that just cant happen, especially from a senior. His homerun was his last at bat of the night, because he was pulled from the game following the mistake. He should have opportunities to bounce back this weekend, as Seth Dardar continues to recover from his ankle injury.
Steven Milam, Derek Curiel, and John Pearson each had 2 hits on Tuesday night. One of Milam’s hits was a double, the only one of the night for the Tiger offense.
Up Next
Having now improved their record to 23-15, LSU will welcome in Texas A&M to Baton Rouge to kick off the second half of SEC play. The Aggies come in with a 10-4 record in conference play, tied for 2nd in the league. They are coming off of a rare 2 game sweep of Texas last weekend with game 3 on Sunday eventually getting cancelled due to rain all day on Sundaqy. With a 6-9 record following being swept in Oxford last weekend, LSU desperately needs a series win this weekend. First pitch for game 1 will be Friday at 6 pm central.
Follow me on X for much more @DCBilliotJr
A quick share helps us a lot!
My initial reactions & thoughts on the Pelicans new hire -- Head Coach Jamahl Mosley.
It was not easy, to say the least, but the Water Hose Boys have found themselves in the Sun Belt tournament championship game. It took them six games in five days, but they got it done. They now look to play either Southern Miss or Troy in the conference championship finale, which is currently scheduled for 1pm on Sunday in Montgomery, Alabama. UL came into the 10-team Sun Belt tournament as the 7-seed, needing to win a single-elimination play-in game against a tricky Marshall team on Tuesday. That game did not seem so tricky for the Cajuns as they defeated the Thundering Herd 11-1 in 7 innings. They then played against 24th nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina on Wednesday in a high-scoring game, narrowly beating the Chanticleers 12-11 to set up a matchup with Texas State the next day. Louisiana got swept in their series against Texas State earlier this season, so they needed to figure out a way to scoop out a win against the Bobcats. Unfortunately, the Cajuns fell short 4-3 on Thursday against Texas State, bringing their record against the Bobcats to 0-4 on the year, and sending them to the loser's bracket. Funny enough, UL found themselves matched up on Friday against Coastal Carolina yet again after the Chanticleers defeated App State 8-2 in the first round of the loser's bracket. Unbothered by the familiar foe, UL was able to squeak out a victory 5-4 against the Chanticleers. Keep in mind, UL played a series against this same Coastal Carolina team last weekend, which meant this was their fifth game against the Chanticleers in nine days. That win meant another date with Texas State in a revenge game on Saturday morning to force a rubber match. It also meant UL defeated #24 Coastal Carolina in four of their five meetings this season. 0-4 against Texas State this season, the Cajuns were in desperate mode. But, with the help of Donovan LaSalle's two home runs and four runs drove in, UL finally bested Texas State 12-6 following a monster 8th inning. This helped force the Cajuns to a second game against Texas State later on Saturday to ultimately determine who makes the conference championship game. With the help of big runs by Lee Amedee and Mark Collins, UL defeated Texas State for the second time on Saturday 7-4 to bid farewell to the Pac-12-bound team and advance to the championship finale. Louisiana will now face the winner of 8th nationally-ranked Southern Miss versus Troy, who will pitch off at 9am on Sunday. The championship finale is set for 1pm later that day. Regardless if they win or lose this championship game, the Cajuns have basically cemented an at-large bid in the NCAA baseball tournament thanks to their 5-1 run so far in the Sun Belt tournament. Coming into this tournament, UL needed to win against Marshall and then against Coastal Carolina (the first time) to really give themselves a good feeling at making the NCAA tournament. But, although they lost to Texas State the next day, they got their revenge by running through the loser's bracket, which concluded in them defeating Texas State twice in the same day, ultimately securing (unofficially) their at-large bid. Unless the committee somehow shocks the world by leaving the Cajuns out (should they lose the championship finale), we will find out on Monday which regional the Cajuns will be heading to as they inch closer on their journey to Omaha.