Box Score

BATON ROUGE, La. – Eastern Kentucky beat No. 11 LSU, 2-0, on Friday at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge.
 
The win was the fifth for the Colonels over a top-30 ranked team in the last five seasons.  EKU improves to 4-0 for the first time since 2001.
 
Catcher A.J. Lewis gave Eastern a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning.  Charlie Ludwick led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt.  Christian Lucio drew a walk before Nick Howie reached on an error to load the bases.  After a strike out, Lewis beat out a ball hit to third and Ludwick scored.
 
With one on and one out in the top of the fifth, Nick Howie singled through the left side to score Michael Brewer and give the visitors a 2-0 lead.  It was the first earned run allowed by LSU starter Cole Henry this season.  The sophomore right-hander entered the game with a 1-0 record and a 0.00 ERA.  On Friday he allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits, walked three and struck out three.
 
Senior lefty Brennan Kelly turned in a stellar start for the Colonels.  He shutout the Tigers for four and one-third innings and allowed just one hit.  He walked three and struck out three.
 
Newcomer Louis Davenport III (1-0) pitched the next two and one-third innings without allowing any hits.  He walked two and struck out four while earning the win.  Fellow newcomer Jye Deeble came in and got the final out of the seventh on a foul ball.  After giving up a walk to start the eighth, Deeble retired the next two batters on a fielder's choice and a pop up to the shortstop.  Darren Williams gave up a single to put the tying run on base, but then got a ground ball to end the inning.
 
Williams retired the first batter in the top of the ninth before Maurice Hampton Jr. singled up the middle.  He struck out the next batter for the second out of the inning and then issued a walk to Gavin Dugas.
 
Jacob Abbott came in with the tying run at first and two outs, and struck out Cade Doughty on five pitches to earn his second save of the season.
 
Lewis finished 2-for-5 with an RBI.  Howie was 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and an RBI. 
 
LSU's Zack Mathis, who entered the game with a .444 average to go along with four runs and four RBIs, finished 0-for-4 with a strike out.
 
Game two of the series is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.  The game will air live online on the SEC Network+.
 
Head coach Edwin Thompson has led his squad to five wins over top-30 ranked teams since 2016.  EKU beat No. 13 Mississippi State 16-12 on March 15, 2016.  The Colonels knocked off No. 28 Kentucky, 5-4, on May 3, 2016.  Eastern beat No. 15 Virginia, 7-6, on Feb. 23, 2018.  Eastern Kentucky defeated No. 11 Vanderbilt, 6-5, on March 14, 2018.