BATON ROUGE, La. (Interstat) — Jake Brown broke out of a slump in historic fashion, crushing three home runs and driving in six to power LSU to a 15-4 rout of Sacramento State on Friday night at Alex Box Stadium/Skip Bertman Field.

The Tigers (12-3) erupted for 14 hits, with Brown’s offensive explosion leading a relentless attack that overwhelmed the Hornets (3-10) early. Brown, who had been mired in a 2-for-16 skid over his previous five games, finished 4 for 5, scoring four times and single-handedly outscoring Sacramento State.

The most important part of the game was LSU’s immediate and overwhelming response after spotting the Hornets a four-run lead before even taking a swing. Sacramento State was credited with four runs in the top of the first inning without a hit, capitalizing on a sequence of walks, hit batters and a fielding error by LSU starter Casan Evans. The Tigers, however, erased the deficit before recording an out in the bottom half.

Derek Curiel led off with a double and Brown followed by launching a two-run homer to left-center field. After two errors and a wild pitch, Ashton Dardar tied the game with a two-run double, completing a four-run inning that completely shifted momentum.

LSU never looked back. In the second inning, Curiel hammered a two-run homer after a Sacramento State error, and Brown followed with a solo shot to center, his second of the night, to make it 7-4. The Tigers then put the game out of reach with a seven-run third inning, highlighted by Brown’s third homer of the game – a three-run blast to right-center. Steven Milam added a two-run homer in the fourth, and Cade Arrambide also went deep for LSU.

Brown’s three-homer game marked a career high and was the catalyst for an LSU lineup that saw seven players record a hit. Curiel went 3 for 4 with a homer, a double, three RBIs and three runs scored. Milam was 2 for 3 with two RBIs.

Evans (2-0) settled in remarkably after his rocky, run-free first inning. He earned the win, pitching 5 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs while striking out nine. He retired 15 of 16 batters at one point before surrendering a two-run triple to Sacramento State’s Erick Dessens in the sixth.

Sacramento State managed only four hits total. Dessens’ triple accounted for the Hornets’ only extra-base hit and both of their RBIs off Evans. Pinch-hitter Ryan Ellis added a two-run double in the seventh for the final margin. Hornets starter Jack Lay (0-2) took the loss, unable to record an out in the second inning.

Andrew Monson and Colin Hunter each provided a scoreless inning of relief for Sacramento State, with Monson striking out the side in the fifth. Zion Theophilus recorded the final out of the sixth for LSU.

The victory extended LSU’s strong start to the season, while Sacramento State dropped its fourth consecutive game. The Tigers outperformed the Interstat game simulator projection of a 7-2 win, having reached that run total by the end of the second inning.

The teams continue their three-game series Saturday.