Thatcher Hurd’s strong start and a seventh-inning hitting spree help LSU capture sweep

No matter which day right-hander Thatcher Hurd starts, he said he approaches the task the same way.

“Anytime, any place, I’ll be ready,” Hurd said.

In his first Sunday start for LSU, he was ready.

Hurd made his case to be a regular part of the weekend rotation, allowing no earned runs on one hit through five innings while striking out seven in the Tigers’ 13-1 victory over Samford (6-9) at Alex Box Stadium. The seven-inning win completed a three-game sweep for the Tigers, and was the sixth mercy-rule victory in their past seven games.

Hurd arrived on campus as a highly-anticipated weekend starter, but he was recovering from a stress fracture in his lower spine that had ended his season at UCLA after nine appearances. He couldn’t throw all summer and only started working his way back in the fall.

Still, Hurd was projected as a weekend starter, so when his first was slated for a Tuesday — Feb. 21 against Southern — it came as a surprise. Before that game, LSU coach Jay Johnson said Hurd needed more time to develop.

That was apparent in Hurd’s debut. He gave up four earned runs on six hits in two innings. But Hurd followed that with 4⅔ shutout innings against Texas the following Tuesday, giving up three hits while walking three and striking out four.

Hurd continued his push for a weekend spot on March 6 against Butler, punching out 11 of his 21 batters faced in a shutout performance.

“It was just a matter of getting experience. He got hurt in the middle of last year so he didn’t really have a full freshman season,” Johnson said. “There’s just some development needed like all of our guys do. The talent is the talent. It’s exceptional. It’s four pitches and it’s really tough to deal with.”

On Sunday, Hurd retired the first 11 batters he faced before giving up a single in the top of the fourth inning. He then walked two batters before escaping the jam with a groundout.

He capped his five-inning outing by retiring the next three batters he faced. Hurd finished with seven strikeouts, two walks, one hit and no earned runs.