| Opening day for LSU baseball Friday was everything the No. 1-ranked Tigers could have hoped for. There was a 10-0 win over Western Michigan, featuring a decent amount of offense on a cold and blustery day at Alex Box Stadium. The pitching of Air Force transfer and annointed staff ace Paul Skenes was dominant. LSU didn't commit an error. But it was all almost completely overshadowed by a devastating injury, as transfer third baseman Tommy White hurt his shoulder diving back into first base after getting a hit on his very first LSU at bat. White left the game, though coach Jay Johnson said he believed the injury wasn't as bad as it first looked. Still, White almost certainly will be out of the lineup when the Tigers play at 1:30 p.m. Saturday against WMU. Across campus, the No. 8 LSU gymnastics team was hosting No. 2 Florida. The gym Tigers already had their devastating injury when senior All-American Kiya Johnson was lost in week two with a ruptured Achilles tendon. LSU has made steady improvement since then, culiminating with Friday's 198.100-197.975 upset of the Gators in a thrilling meet inside the PMAC. The big moment belonged to sophomore Aleah Finnegan, who had her third straight meet with a perfect 10, a rather historic achivement. In addition to the story, we've got a photo gallery for you from the meet as well. As soon as the meet ended, work crews swooped into the PMAC and began disassembling the gymnastics equipment to turn the PMAC back into a basketball venue for Saturday's men's game between LSU and South Carolina. There are probably some Tiger fans who would have argued for keeping the gym equipment in place, but no, the two worst teams in the SEC do actually insist on playing. This may be LSU's last, best chance to break its 0-for-2023 losing streak, which now has reached 13 straight games. LSU softball also had a dramatic 6-4 win on Friday against Utah. It wasn't a perfect 10, but Taylor Pleasants' walk-off three-run home run probably looked perfect to coach Beth Torina. By the way, it apparently happened at almost the exact same time Finnegan had her 10 on beam. Women's basketball is off to Florida on Saturday after getting back in the win column Thursday with a 69-60 victory over Ole Miss (a little different vibe for the LSU-SC men's game than the women's matchup this past Sunday, eh?). The 24-1 Tigers are still a contender for a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed, but coach Kim Mulkey explains why she doesn't think that is going to happen. Finally, LSU's track and field teams looked mighty impressive Friday in their final tuneup before the SEC Indoor Championships, winning 12 events in the LSU Twilight meet. Our Sheldon Mickles has all the particulars. Whew! Well, that's all for a busy day in LSU sports. The rest of the weekend promises to be just as hectic, and we'll be on top of all the action for you in print and at www.TheAdvocate.com. Have a great Mardi Gras weekend. Scott Rabalais | 
