BATON ROUGE, La. (Interstat) — The LSU Tigers, ranked among the nation’s elite, opened their 2026 season with a potent offensive display, overcoming an early deficit to defeat the Milwaukee Panthers 15-5 on Friday evening at Alex Box Stadium/Skip Bertman Field.

Playing as the visiting team, Milwaukee seized a surprising early lead with a five-run outburst in the top of the fourth inning. The Panthers, held scoreless through three frames, loaded the bases with no outs against LSU starter Gage Evans. Christian Holmes drove in the first run with a single, and Tristan Ellis cleared the bases with a two-run double to left field. Ellis later scored on a Dylan O’Connell groundout, staking Milwaukee to a 5-1 advantage.

The Tigers, who began chipping away with a solo home run by Ethan Yorke in the second inning and an RBI groundout by Blake Milam in the third, found their rhythm as the game progressed. The momentum shifted decisively in the bottom of the seventh inning, which proved to be the most critical juncture of the contest. Trailing 5-4, LSU sent 14 batters to the plate and erupted for eight runs, transforming a tight game into a rout.

The inning began with back-to-back doubles from Milam and Justin Brown to tie the game. After a hit-by-pitch, catcher Cade Arrambide delivered the decisive blow, a three-run homer to left field off Milwaukee reliever Jack Andrews to give LSU an 8-5 lead. The Tigers were far from done, capitalizing on a cascade of Milwaukee miscues. Two errors, a wild pitch, and a walk led to two more unearned runs, extending the lead to 10-5 before the inning finally ended.

LSU added five more runs in the eighth inning for finality, highlighted by an RBI double from pinch-hitter Armando Serna Jr. and a run-scoring single from Milam. The Tigers amassed 15 hits, with Arrambide and Milam each collecting three. Arrambide finished with three RBIs and three runs scored, while Milam drove in two.

Milwaukee managed eight hits but struck out 16 times. Ellis led the Panthers with two doubles and two RBIs. Charlie Marion provided their other run with a solo homer in the fifth inning.

LSU right-hander Samuel Dutton earned the win in relief, while Milwaukee starter Jackson Mueller took the loss. The victory improved LSU’s record to 1-0, while Milwaukee fell to 0-1.

The teams are scheduled to continue their three-game series on Saturday afternoon.