As the hours ticked by and the rain continued to fall, LSU's bats were ready to pounce on Saturday night at Alex Box Stadium.
But they really had to wait. Nearly four hours passed before freshman Derek Curiel stepped into the box to start the bottom of the first inning.
But he and junior Jared Jones wasted no time getting LSU's offense rolling. Curiel singled up the middle before Jones blasted a ball nearly halfway up the batter's eye in center field for a two-run home run that traveled 440 feet.
"That's one of the most impressive swings I've ever seen," LSU coach Jay Johnson said. "And (we) just kept going after that."
By the end of the inning, LSU scored eight runs on eight hits to take an 8-0 lead, catapulting the Tigers to a 17-8 victory and a series sweep over Mississippi State.
The high-scoring affair turned the night into a marathon for everyone at the park. Following a three-hour and 36-minute rain delay, Saturday's game began at 9:36 p.m. and lasted four hours and eight minutes.
It didn't end until 1:44 a.m. on Sunday morning.
"This is crazy," redshirt sophomore right-hander Jaden Noot said. "I've never played this late (before)."
The top three hitters in LSU's lineup — Curiel, Jones and junior Daniel Dickinson — were a combined 8-for-13 at the plate. Jones, Dickinson, sophomore Steven Milam, senior Luis Hernandez and junior Ethan Frey each drove in multiple runs.
Four Tigers had three hits, including junior nine-hole hitter Chris Stanfield.
"On home games, I'd say close to right before (the game starts), we throw (batting practice) to a lot of them quickly, like firm (and at) game speed," Johnson said. "And there was more of them down there because we had the three hour delay tonight.
"And we had one thing we wanted to be a little better (at) than yesterday, and you had to because they do have good arms. And we were right (on top of it) from the first pitch of the game in terms of just ready to go and pouncing on mistakes."
After the massive first inning, LSU got a run-scoring single from sophomore Jake Brown in the second and a two-run double from Dickinson in the fifth. The Tigers then scored two more runs in the sixth and another run in the seventh to take a 14-8 lead.
In the eighth inning, the offense nearly ended the game early. LSU scored three runs to grow its lead to nine before Frey flew out to deep right field to close out the frame. The Tigers had runners on first and second when the putout was made.
"It's easy in a long day like today to lose yourself within the five (or) six hours that we're waiting, or whatever it was," Frey said. "Just staying mentally ready kind of helps prepare you for the game."
Sophomore right-handed starter Chase Shores had an eventful night in his third SEC start.
After a scoreless first inning, he allowed four earned runs on four hits in the second. He surrendered a one-out solo home run to senior Hunter Hines before giving up a bases clearing double that drove in three runs and cut LSU's lead to 8-4.
Shores bounced back after that, throwing a scoreless third and fourth inning. But before he finished his outing in the fourth, his left eye got hit by a bouncing ball that deflected off the heal of his glove. The play resulted with him acquiring a bruised cheek and a cut at his eye brow.
He stayed in the game despite the accident and forced a fielder's choice to end the inning, stranding runners on first and third in the process.
"I've never seen it happen," Frey said when asked how rare it was to see a pitcher stay on the bump after getting hit in the face. "I feel like that would have to be pretty rare."
Shores finished the night with five strikeouts, two walks and five hits allowed in four innings.
"I think that's a big step for him tonight," Johnson said.
Junior left-hander Conner Ware replaced Shores in the fifth inning and tossed a scoreless frame before freshman right-hander Mavrick Rizy allowed a run in the sixth.
Things then got rocky for LSU's bullpen in the seventh. Sophomore left-hander DJ Primeaux walked a batter and hit the next one before exiting for junior right-hander Connor Benge.
Benge surrendered a two-run double that shrunk LSU's lead to six before he walked a batter and eventually found himself in another jam. The Bulldogs had two runners in scoring position with nobody out.
The Dallas Baptist transfer allowed a run, but he got a strikeout, a sacrifice fly out and a groundout to end the inning and keep LSU's lead at 13-8 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
"A lot of the time I feel like we're not getting ahead, or we're getting caught behind when we shouldn't be," Noot said. "So really (we're) just trying to hammer the zone and get ahead of everybody."
Freshman left-hander Cooper Williams replaced Benge in the eighth inning and hit the lead off batter. Noot then came in for Williams and forced a fly out and an inning-ending double play with runners on the corners to wiggle out of the eighth without allowing a run.
In the ninth, Noot finished the contest in the wee hours by tossing another scoreless inning.
"We were delayed for what? Five or six hours?" Noot said. "The locker room the whole time was just... electric. Everyone was just having fun, joking around, keeping loose vibes. Made it obviously easier to play together."
LSU is back in action on Tuesday against Louisiana Tech at Alex Box Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be available to stream on SEC Network+.