BATON ROUGE, La. (Interstat) — Casan Evans delivered a dominant performance on the mound, striking out 15 over 7 2/3 shutout innings to lead the LSU Tigers to a 7-1 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in a Southeastern Conference matchup Thursday night at Alex Box Stadium/Skip Bertman Field.

The game, which opened a three-game series, was defined by Evans’ mastery and a disastrous second inning for Oklahoma that saw the Tigers plate four unearned runs. LSU improved to 16-7 overall, while Oklahoma fell to 17-5.

Evans, rebounding emphatically from a rough outing six days prior where he allowed six earned runs at Vanderbilt, was nearly untouchable. He surrendered just three hits and walked one, overpowering the Sooners’ lineup. He recorded at least one strikeout in every inning he worked and fanned the side in the fourth. His 15 strikeouts tied a career high and stifled any potential Oklahoma rally before it could begin.

The most critical sequence of the game unfolded in the bottom of the second inning, turning a tight contest into a comfortable LSU lead. Oklahoma starter Xander Mercurius, who had pitched five no-hit innings with four strikeouts but was plagued by control issues, began the frame with a walk to Ashton Caraway. A wild pitch and a throwing error by Sooners third baseman Nate Smithburg allowed Caraway to score the go-ahead run.

The floodgates then opened as LSU capitalized on a cascade of Oklahoma mistakes. A walk and a stolen base by Kade Brown led to another run scoring on a throwing error by the catcher. A second error, this time by the second baseman, allowed Brown to score. After a hit-by-pitch reloaded the bases, Mercurius was relieved by John Cam, who immediately gave up an RBI single to John Pearson that drove in two more. All four runs in the inning were unearned, a direct result of three Oklahoma errors.

LSU’s initial run came in the first inning without a hit, as Mercurius struggled with command, walking three batters before issuing a bases-loaded walk to Brady Arrambide that tied the game 1-1. Oklahoma’s lone run, also unearned, scored in the top of the sixth when Jason Walk came home on a throwing error by LSU first baseman Ethan Plog after a strikeout.

The Tigers added two insurance runs in the seventh on a two-run single by Kade Yorke, scoring Omar Serna Jr. and pinch-runner Connor Patrick. Serna Jr. and Pearson each had two of LSU’s seven hits.

Oklahoma’s offense, which managed only four hits total, was completely neutralized by Evans and reliever Zac Cowan, who recorded the final four outs. The Sooners struck out 17 times as a team.

The victory gave LSU an early edge in the series, which continues Friday and Saturday. The Tigers’ next game is Friday against Oklahoma again, while the Sooners look to even the series. Both teams entered the contest coming off midweek losses, but LSU’s combination of Evans’ brilliance and opportunistic offense proved decisive, defying a national statistical projection that had favored Oklahoma 7-5. The Tigers’ performance validated their ELO probability rating as a 65 percent favorite.