Jun 16, 2015 3 min read

OMAHA, Neb. – Alex Lange pitched his second complete game in three starts, allowing only three base runners after a rocky first inning, and LSU knocked Cal State Fullerton out of the College World Series with a 5-3 win on Tuesday.

The Tigers (54-11), the No. 2 national seed and the No. 1 team in the major polls, scored four times in the third inning to wipe out an early deficit. They’ll play Thursday against the loser of Tuesday’s late game between Vanderbilt and TCU.

Alex Bregman, the No. 2 overall draft pick by the Houston Astros, matched his career high with four hits while batting leadoff for the first time this season.

The Titans (39-25) used four straight hits and a squeeze bunt to jump out to a 3-0 lead against Lange (12-0). He allowed only two singles and a walk the rest of the way.

His 10 strikeouts gives him 33 over his last three starts.

It was the continuation of a fabulous season for the Southeastern Conference’s freshman of the year. The 6-foot-3, 198-pound Lange allowed three runs in 17 innings over his two previous NCAA Tournament starts. On Tuesday he had given up that many runs after facing just six batters, but the early trouble didn’t carry over.

LSU, which went 0-2 in its previous CWS appearance in 2013, was in danger of going two-and-out again after losing 10-3 to TCU on Sunday. Instead, the Tigers maintained their streak of not losing back-to-back games this season.

Coach Paul Mainieri juggled his batting order, moving Bregman to the leadoff spot from the No. 3 hole, where he had been every game since Feb. 20.

Bregman, who was 2 for 4 against TCU on Sunday after going 1 for 16 in his first five NCAA Tournament games, led off the inning the first three times he came to bat and singled four straight times before dribbling out to the pitcher in the eighth. Bregman also was sharp at shortstop, making one of the game’s best plays when he dashed far into the outfield to catch a flare from David Olmedo-Barrera.

Lange also got defensive help from Mark Laird, who planted his face in the fence while gloving Tyler Stieb’s deep fly to right.

Bregman’s base hit to left started LSU’s four-run third inning against freshman Connor Seabold (5-4) and Miles Chambers. Kade Scivicque and Chris Sciambra and Chris Chinea followed with RBI singles and Andrew Stevenson’s sacrifice fly brought in another run. Pinch hitter Danny Zardon’s sacrifice fly in the seventh gave the Tigers a two-run cushion.

Fullerton, batting just .265 for the season, jumped on Lange in the first. The Titans strung together four straight hits, including David Olmedo-Barrera’s RBI triple, and Dalton Blaser brought in Jerrod Bravo from third with bunt that made it 3-0.

Fullerton has lost seven straight CWS games and is 2-8 in Omaha since winning the national title in 2004.