LSU falls, Little Rock forces a winner-take-all game on Monday
LSU entered Sunday night’s game against the Little Rock Trojans with one goal in mind: a trip to the Super Regionals. All they had to do was beat a team that they defeated 7-0 in the first game of the regional on Friday. The Trojans put up six runs in the first three innings, and LSU could not rally, and the Tigers lost 10-4.
LSU was the visiting team in this game (that is a rant for another day). In the top of the first inning, LSU got out to a 3-0 lead as Danny Dickinson hit an RBI single and Steven Milam hit a two-RBI single.
Jaden Noot got the start on the mound for the Tigers. In the first two games of the Regional, LSU did not give up any runs. That all changed at the bottom of the second inning when Little Rock hit a two-run homer to cut the lead to 3-2. In the top of the third inning, LSU loaded the bases for Michael Braswell, but he flew out to Center Field to end the inning. Chase Shores entered the game to pitch in the bottom of the third inning.
After recording a groundout, he walked the bases loaded, and then a double cleared the bases and gave Little Rock a 6-3 lead. Cooper Williams would then enter to pitch.
In the top of the fourth inning, LSU once again loaded the bases. This time, Ethan Frey was the one up to bat. Frey popped out to the shortstop to end the inning, and the Tigers left the runners stranded for the second inning in a row. In the top of the fifth inning, LSU cut into the lead as a wild pitch scored Luis Hernandez to make it 6-4 Little Rock.
Both teams were retired three up, three down in the sixth and seventh innings. Jacob Mayers entered to pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning. He retired all three batters he faced, and we headed to the top of the eighth inning with LSU still trailing by two runs.
Once again, LSU was retired without getting anyone on base, and the Tigers were down to their final three outs. Mayers trotted back out onto the mound in the eighth inning and walked the first three batters to load the bases with no outs. A sacrifice fly got the first out, but it increased the Trojans’ lead to 7-4. Mayers walked another hitter, and the bases were loaded once again.
Mavrick Rizy was then brought in to pitch. An RBI groundout scored another run to make it 8-4. A wild pitch scored another run to make it 9-4. An RBI single would increase the lead to 10-4.
Tonight’s loss marked the first time in LSU history that the Tigers lost to a No. 4 seed in a Baton Rouge Regional. It sets up a winner-take-all game against Little Rock tomorrow. I do not know who the Trojans will have pitching, but I have a really good idea of who we will see from LSU.
We are going to see some combination of Casan Evans and Zac Cowan. We have not seen either of those guys in this regional, and now is the time for those guys to slam the door on Little Rock and send us to a Super Regional against West Virginia. Tomorrow’s game will be played at a time to be announced.
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