Da Boot Sports 4/30/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – Georgia broke open a one-run game with four runs in the top of the ninth inning Saturday, and the Bulldogs went on to defeat LSU, 12-7, in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. Georgia improved to 30-13 overall, 12-8 in the SEC, while LSU dropped to 28-14 overall and 11-9 in conference play. The series concludes at 1 p.m. CT Sunday in a game that will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network and streamed on SEC Network +. “We didn’t really have an answer to keep them off the scoreboard from about the fifth inning on,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “The park played very much in the hitters’ favor today, and you have to tip your cap to Georgia for the way they swung the bats. “We need to come back tomorrow and produce quality at-bats where we’re really pressing their pitchers. Our pitching staff will have to focus on executing pitches. It’s going to be a good challenge for our team, and I’m excited for the chance to go for it tomorrow.” Georgia starting pitcher Jonathan Cannon (8-1) was credited with the victory, as he worked five innings and allowed four runs on eight hits with one walk and one strikeout. Bryce Collins (2-1), the third of seven LSU pitchers, was charged with the loss as he allowed two runs on one hit in 0.1 inning with one walk and no strikeouts. Georgia hit six homers in Saturday’s game – two each by second baseman Cory Acton, leftfielder Connor Tate and third baseman Parks Harber. Acton’s homer in the first inning gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead, and Georgia held a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second when the Tigers struck for four runs. Leftfielder Josh Stevenson blasted a three-run homer – the first dinger of his career – and rightfielder Josh Pearson followed with a solo shot. Georgia tied the game in the fifth, and the Bulldogs took a 6-4 lead in the sixth when first baseman Chaney Rogers delivered a two-run double. Solo homers in the seventh by Tate and Harber increased the advantage to 8-4. LSU responded in the bottom of the seventh with a three-run homer by third baseman Jacob Berry, his 14th dinger of the year. The Bulldogs, however, scored four runs in the top of the ninth in an outburst highlighted by three homers – one each by Acton, Tate and Harber. Georgia reliever Jack Gowen earned his ninth save of the year, allowing no runs and no hits in three innings with two walks and three strikeouts.
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Da Boot Sports 4/29/2022 By: David Penn BATON ROUGE, LA - LSU bounced back after a midweek loss at UNO to claim game one against the Georgia Bulldogs on Friday night at Alex Box Stadium/Skip Bertman Field. With the win, LSU improves to 28-13, 11-8 in the conference standings just one game back from the West leading Arkansas. Ma’Khail Hilliard started for LSU and went six innings, limiting the Bulldogs to just a pair of runs off a two run homer in the top of the third inning. “Great game tonight,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “Ma’Khail was exceptional and demonstrated again why we call him the ace of our staff. He competes with such poise and confidence, and he delivered for us in a huge way against a very good team.” Hilliard had to work out of two jams when the Dawgs loaded the bases but was able to deliver from the plate and get the outs needed to avoid any potential damage. Hilliard threw over 100 pitches in his six innings of work and was just under 75% strikes thrown. He allowed two runs on eight hits, walked three, and fanned seven Georgia hitters. Eric Reyzleman and Riley Cooper would pull middle relief duty for LSU and Paul Gervase would earn the save. Catcher Tyler McManus got LSU on the board when he lifted a two run shot into the seats in the second inning. Georgia’s Connor Tate answered in the top of the third with a two run blast of his own. Not to be out done, Cade Doughty answered the UGA homer immediately by belting a two run dinger in the home half of the third. Josh Stevenson would add a run on his sac fly that scored teammate Jordan Thompson. Dylan Crews would cap off the scoring with his eleventh “Crews Missile” of the year. Johnson said. “He got the ball up against Crisp, which you have to do because he does a good job of sinking his fastball. Cade got inside it, and I can’t believe it got out because it was hit so low and so hard, but that’s a testament to Cade’s strength and ability.” The Tigers will look to seal the series on Saturday at Alex Box Stadium in game two vs UGA at 2:00pm CT. The game can be heard on LSU Sports Radio and streamed on SEC+. With Arkansas losing to Ole Miss and Auburn losing to Tennessee on Friday night, LSU sits just one game back of first place in the SEC West, tied with Auburn for the second spot. Da Boot Sports 4/26/2022 By: David Penn NEW ORLEANS, LA - The #17 LSU Tigers (27-13, 10-8) took to Maestri Field on Tuesday night in a tilt against the UNO Privateers (22-16). The night began with UNO honoring Ron Maestri and his accomplishments as the skipper of the program and his contributions to UNO athletics, Coach Maestri through the ceremonial first pitch to retired LSU coach and former UNO player Paul Mainieri to the applause of everyone in attendance. The story of the night was UNO reliever Beau Blanchard who came on with one out in the second and then went the distance, pitching 7.2 innings and limiting LSU to two runs on six hits. Blanchard threw a stunning 117 pitches. Ty Floyd started for LSU but only lasted 1.1 innings after surrendering four runs (three earned) on four hits with two walks and no strikeouts. LSU would go to the bullpen early and then often as the pen attempted to limit the UNO offense. The staff recorded eight strikeouts but gave up eight hits and with early miscues on defense the Privateers were able to keep themselves ahead on the scoreboard. “We didn’t handle the baseball the way we needed to early in the game and gave them too many free passes, UNO has a very good lineup, and they will make you pay when you give them free opportunities." said Jay Johnson. "I think when some things didn’t go our way early in the game, our guys started to press at the plate and we didn’t produce enough quality at-bats.” Josh Pearson and Tre’ Morgan each had a pair of hits including Pearson’s homerun to lead off the ninth inning. Pearson had two RBIs and Morgan picked up an RBI on a single. After the game Morgan stated that the team didn’t come out with the right energy and that at times the offense was chasing pitches trying to make something happen. LSU stranded ten base runners on the evening as the Privateers turned the necessary plays on defense to stifle any rally LSU attempted. Up next for LSU is a home series against the Georgia Bulldogs that will begin Friday night at 6:30pm CT. The Tigers currently sit in third place in the west standings but are only two games out of the top spot currently held by Arkansas. The Tigers are hoping to get through some injuries and clean up on defense and make a final push to take the west before heading to Hoover, AL. Da Boot Sports 4/23/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – Three LSU players drove in two runs each Saturday, and pitcher Riley Cooper stopped an eighth-inning Missouri rally, as the Tigers posted an 8-6 win over Mizzou in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. LSU, which completed a sweep of the three-game series, improved to 27-12 overall and 10-8 in the SEC. Missouri dropped to 22-15 overall and 5-13 in conference play. The Tigers return to action at 6:30 p.m. CT Tuesday when they play at the University of New Orleans in a game that will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network and streamed on ESPN+. Catcher Tyler McManus, rightfielder Josh Pearson and third baseman Jacob Berry each drove in two runs to highlight LSU’s 11-hit output. Right-hander Bryce Collins (2-0), the second of six LSU pitchers, earned the win as he worked 2.2 innings and limited Missouri to one run on three hits with no walks and four strikeouts. With LSU clinging to a 7-6 lead in the top of the eighth, Cooper entered the contest with the bases loaded and two outs. He retired Missouri third baseman Luke Mann on a grounder back to the mound to end the threat. Cooper then retired the side in order to preserve the win and pick up his first save of the season. Missouri starter Austin Marozas (1-2) was charged with the loss, as he surrendered six runs on eight hits in five innings with two walks and three strikeouts. “I’m very proud of the team, I think we grew this week,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson, whose club also defeated UL-Lafayette, 8-4, on Tuesday night. “We beat a Top 50 RPI team on Tuesday and earned three wins over a Top 25 RPI team this weekend, that’s awesome. These are the weeks you love, and I’d like to give a special thanks to our fans for coming out and supporting us all week.” Missouri took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning against LSU starter Samuel Dutton when leftfielder Trevor Austin launched a two-run homer, his third of the year. LSU tied the game in the third when designated hitter Brayden Jobert unloaded a solo homer – his 12th dinger of the season – and Berry delivered an RBI single. LSU scored three runs in the fourth when McManus lined a two-run double, and Pearson provided a run-scoring single. Berry’s solo homer – his 13th of the year – increased the advantage to 6-3 in the fifth. LSU added another run in the seventh on an RBI double by first baseman Tre’ Morgan, but Missouri staged a rally in the eighth before Cooper shut the door on the comeback. “Riley is such an asset to our team; he has a chance to impact 2-3 wins per week,” Johnson said. “He’s a star, and I don’t think you could ask anybody to do any more than he’s doing for us.” The Tigers scored an insurance run in the eighth when McManus tripled and scored on another Pearson RBI single. Photos Below By: Michael Bacigalupi Da Boot Sports 4/22/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – Second baseman Cade Doughty’s RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning Friday night lifted LSU to a 4-3 win over Missouri at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. LSU improved to 26-12 overall, 9-8 in the SEC, while Missouri dropped to 22-14 overall and 5-12 in conference play. The teams conclude the series at 12 p.m. CT Saturday in a game that will be broadcast on affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network and streamed on SEC Network +. With Friday’s game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the 10th inning, pinch hitter Josh Stevenson led off with a double to left-center field, and he moved to third base on centerfielder Dylan Crews’ groundout. Missouri elected to intentionally walk third baseman Jacob Berry, and Doughty followed with a line drive into left-center field to score Stevenson with the game-winning run. “It was a great at-bat to start the inning by Josh,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “I thought he was a good fit in that situation to get us going, and he gave us a huge at-bat. Dylan is a team-first guy, and he did a great job of moving to Josh to third with an unselfish at-bat. Dylan is a very mature player, and that was reflected in that at-bat. “Cade is a great player who has come up with clutch hits for us all season long, and he delivered again in high-pressure situation.” The win was LSU’s second walk-off victory of the season – the Tigers posted a walk-off win over Oklahoma on March 4 in Houston on a homer by shortstop Jordan Thompson. Missouri reliever Austin Troesser (3-1), who entered the game at the start of the 10th inning, was charged with the loss as he allowed one run on two hits in 0.1 inning. LSU reliever Riley Cooper (3-2) earned the win, working the final 1.1 innings and limiting Missouri to no runs on two hits with one strikeout. Crews gave LSU a 1-0 advantage by leading off the first inning with his 10th homer of the season, but Missouri scored a pair of unearned runs in the third against Tigers’ starting pitcher Blake Money. Designated hitter Brayden Jobert tied the contest in the fourth with his 11th homer of the year, and the Tigers took the lead on a solo dinger by catcher Tyler McManus, his third of the season. Missouri third baseman Luke Mann launched his 10th homer of the season in the eighth to tie the game at 3-3. “Close games come down to fundamentals and the character of your team,” Johnson said. “We’ve made a point this season to emphasize that we’re not only going to be good in close games, we’re going to be comfortable in playing them, and I thought the poise of our players was outstanding tonight.” Da Boot Sports 4/21/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – Senior right-hand Ma’Khail Hilliard scattered seven hits over seven innings Thursday night, and third baseman Jacob Berry slugged two homers to lead LSU to a 5-3 win over Missouri in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. LSU improved to 25-12 overall, 8-8 in the Southeastern Conference, while Missouri dropped to 22-13 and 5-11. The teams resume the series at 6:30 p.m. CT Friday in a game that will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network and streamed on SEC Network +. Hilliard (4-0) limited Missouri to two runs on seven hits in seven innings with no walks and five strikeouts, firing 104 pitches. “Ma’Khail was outstanding, I can’t even fathom where our team would be without him,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “He did a great job again tonight, and I just feel like we’re going to win every time he pitches.” Missouri starter Spencer Miles (2-4) was charged with the loss as he surrendered five runs on 10 hits in 5.2 innings with two walks and four strikeouts. Berry was 3-for-4 at the plate with two homers, two RBI and three runs scored. His first homer gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the first inning, and his second dinger – his 12th of the season -- tied the game at 2-2 in the third. “Jacob hit three different pitches about as well as you can hit those pitches,” Johnson said. “He showed he’s one of the best hitters in the country; his mindset is great, he’s working his tail off, and I’m sure glad he’s here.” LSU broke the 2-2 tie in the fifth with a three-run outburst highlighted by second baseman Cade Doughty’s RBI double and a two-run single by first baseman Tre’ Morgan. Right-hander Paul Gervase worked the final 1.1 innings for LSU, earning his third save of the season. Gervase retired all four batters he faced, recording two strikeouts. Da Boot Sports 4/20/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – Shortstop Jordan Thompson’s two-run homer highlighted a five-run fourth inning Tuesday night as LSU posted an 8-4 win over UL Lafayette in the Wally Pontiff Jr. Foundation Classic at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. LSU improved to 24-12 on the year, while UL Lafayette dropped to 20-16. The Tigers return to action at 7 p.m. CT Thursday when they play host to Missouri in Game 1 of a three-game SEC series in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. “UL Lafayette is a good team, a team that can be the champion of their conference, so this was a valuable win for us,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “I’m proud of our team, we played well tonight and earned the victory.” LSU starting pitcher Ty Floyd (4-2) earned the win, limiting the Cajuns to two runs on four hits in five innings with no walks and eight strikeouts. “We felt like Ty was a good matchup for this team and what we wanted to prevent them from doing,” Johnson said. “He certainly executed his pitches well tonight.” UL Lafayette reliever Brandon Talley (2-2) was charged with the loss, as he allowed five runs – two earned – on two hits in 1.2 innings with one walk and one strikeout. LSU reliever Eric Reyzelman worked the 2.1 scoreless innings to earn his second save of the season, allowing no hits with one walk and three strikeouts. With LSU trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning, Thompson launched a two-run homer – his fourth of the season --- to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead. LSU added three more runs in the inning as centerfielder Dylan Crews delivered a two-run single and second baseman Cade Doughty was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. The Tigers extended the lead to 8-2 in the fifth when leftfielder Josh Stevenson lifted a sacrifice fly and rightfielder Josh Pearson provided an RBI double. First baseman Tre’ Morgan gave LSU a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a solo dinger, his third homer of the year. Da Boot Sports 4/17/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas overcame a 1-0 LSU lead with a four-run fifth inning, and the Razorbacks went on to a 6-2 victory Saturday at Baum-Walker Stadium. SEC Western Division leader Arkansas improved 28-7 overall, 11-4 in the league, while LSU dropped to 23-12 overall and 7-8 in conference play. LSU returns to action at 6:30 p.m. CT Tuesday when the Tigers play host to UL Lafayette in the Wally Pontiff Jr. Foundation Classic at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. “We had opportunities to score today, we just didn’t get them in,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “We’ve got to go to work on Monday and improve. We’re halfway through the SEC schedule, and we need to get better in order to beat the teams at the top of the league.” Arkansas starting pitcher Jaxon Wiggins (5-0) earned the win, as he limited LSU to two runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings with three walks and nine strikeouts. LSU reliever Grant Taylor (4-1) was charged with the loss, allowing three runs – two earned – on two hits in the fifth inning with one walk. LSU starting pitcher Samuel Dutton delivered a solid outing, working a career-high four innings and limiting Arkansas to one run on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts. LSU grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when centerfielder Dylan Crews ripped an RBI double down the left-field line to score designated hitter Brayden Jobert. Arkansas scored four runs in the fifth inning to take a 4-1 lead, as the outburst was highlighted by a two-run single from third baseman Cayden Wallace and a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Brady Slavens. The Tigers narrowed the gap to 4-2 in the seventh when leftfielder Josh Stevenson doubled and scored on first baseman Tre Morgan’s single, but Slavens’ two-run homer in the bottom of the inning helped to secure the outcome for the Razorbacks. Da Boot Sports 4/15/2022 David Penn FAYETTEVILLE, AR - The LSU Tigers (23-11, 7-7) dropped game two of the series against Arkansas (27-7, 10-4) and lost their third SEC series of the season. The Razorbacks didn’t need defensive miscues from the LSU defense to win this contest as the runs came off three homeruns from Razorback hitters. Arkansas starter Hagen Smith provided seven scoreless innings for the home team. Blake Money (2-3) began the outing for the Tigers and pitched 6.2 innings, surrendering four runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out one. Jacob Hasty and Grant Edwards would come in relief and keep Arkansas from inflicting more damage and allow the offense to remain in striking distance. The Tigers did threaten late with the bases loaded with Cade Doughty in the batter’s box, but the Tigers were unable to convert the opportunity into runs. “We hit too many balls in the air against Smith, and we struck out too many times,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “We didn’t put a whole lot of pressure on him.” Smith indeed coasted for the seven scoreless innings he pitched. Arkansas pitching only gave up three hits to Tiger batters, only walked three Tigers, and eight Tigers went down on strikes. Zach Gregory got Arkansas on the board with a solo shot in the third. Michael Turner hit the two run shot later in the third, and the scoring was capped when Chris Lanzilli hit a solo homerun in the fifth. LSU will look to avoid the sweep in the Ozarks today when they take the field at 2:00pm CT at Baum-Walker Stadium for game three of the series. Da Boot Sports 4/14/2022 By: David Penn FAYETTEVILLE, AK - The defensive miscues continue to plague the 2022 LSU Tigers (27-10, 7-6). The Tigers were mounting a rally against Arkansas (26-7, 9-4) and had seized the lead late in the game, but failing to turn routine plays allowed Arkansas to plate the needed runs to survive the first game of the series and notch a win. Ma’Khail Hilliard started for LSU and gave the Tigers five innings of work and limited one of the SEC’s best offenses to just two runs, as the first scored on a defensive mishap in the first inning and the second was a base loaded walk. Hilliard allowed three hits, two runs (one earned), walked four and struck out five batters. Coach Jay Johnson would go to the bullpen in the sixth and five more pitchers would take the mound for the Tigers. Riley Cooper (2-2) took the loss on the evening, striking out three, but allowing two hits and two runs. Johnson said, “Our pitchers executed the way they’re supposed to, but we didn’t give them the support they needed.” The offense did its job, helping apply pressure to the team currently atop the West standings. Jacob Berry, Cade Doughty, and Josh Pearson all had RBIs in the sixth inning to give LSU a 3-2 lead. Berry would get another RBI single in the eighth, but Arkansas turned a double play with the bases loaded to get out of the jam and end LSU’s threat of retaking the lead. Connor Noland started for the Razorbacks and fanned seven Tigers, but after blanking LSU on the scoreboard for the first 5.2 innings, Noland gave up three runs in the sixth. Evan Taylor would come on in the seventh and fan three more Tigers, allowing a run in the eighth before ace closer Brady Tygart would earn the final six outs Arkansas needed to finish the game. As has been the story many times this season, it was errors and miscues on the field that cost LSU a win. “We’ve got to play better, if we handle the baseball, we win tonight." Johnson said. "We’re working extremely hard at it; we’ve got to be aggressive and do a better job on defense.” The Tigers gave up the go ahead runs in the seventh inning. LSU will face off against Arkansas on Friday at 5:00pm CT at Baum-Walker Stadium for game two of the series, hoping to earn a win and force a rubber match on Saturday in order to keep within striking distance of the Razorbacks in the standings. Da Boot Sports 4/10/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques STARKVILLE, Miss. – Freshman rightfielder Josh Pearson homered twice and collected five RBI Sunday to lead LSU to a 13-3 win over Mississippi State at Dudy Noble Field. LSU, which completed a series sweep of the Bulldogs, improved to 23-9 overall and 7-5 in the SEC. The Tigers are in second place in the SEC Western Division, one game behind Arkansas (8-4). Mississippi State dropped to 18-15 overall and 4-8 in conference play. The sweep was LSU’s first in the SEC since March 2019, when the Tigers swept Kentucky in Baton Rouge. This weekend marked LSU’s first SEC road sweep since May 2017 at Mississippi State. The Tigers return to action at 6:30 p.m. CT Tuesday when they play host to Lamar in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. The game will be broadcast on affiliates of the LSU Sports Radio Network, and it will be streamed on SEC Network +. “We played great complimentary baseball today,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “Pitching spearheaded it, there was complimentary defense with a zero in the error column, and offensively it was one of our best days of the year.” Pearson was 3-for-5 at the plate with two homers, five RBI and two runs scored to highlight LSU’s 13-hit output. Centerfielder Dylan Crews doubled and drove in two runs, and second baseman Cade Doughty homered, doubled and collected two RBI. Catcher Tyler McManus was 3-for-4 on the day with a triple and three runs scored. “Josh has continued to slow the game down the more he gets in there,” Johnson said. “I have total confidence in him.” Freshman right-hander Grant Taylor (4-0) earned the win in relief, as he worked four innings and allowed two runs on five hits with no walks and six strikeouts. LSU starter Samuel Dutton worked the first three innings, allowing just one run on four hits with no walks and one strikeout. “Sam has shown he can handle the role we’ve put him in the last couple of weeks,” Johnson said, “and Grant continues to display tremendous poise and maturity.” Mississippi State starter Cade Smith (4-2) was charged with the loss as he surrendered six runs on five hits in five innings with five walks and one strikeout. Mississippi State grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when second baseman RJ Yeager led off with a home run, his ninth of the year. The Tigers tied the game in the third when first baseman Tre’ Morgan grounded into a double play with the bases loaded, scoring designated hitter Brayden Jobert from third base. LSU exploded for five runs in the fifth inning as centerfielder Dylan Crews and third baseman Jacob Berry delivered RBI singles, and rightfielder Josh Pearson launched a three-run homer, his first career dinger. The Tigers extended the lead to 7-1 in the sixth when catcher Tyler McManus singled with one out and scored on a two-out RBI double by first baseman Tre’ Morgan. LSU added two more runs in the seventh on back-to-back solo homers by second baseman Cade Doughty – his eighth of the year – and by Pearson, who unloaded his second dinger of the day. Mississippi State narrowed the margin to 9-3 in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run homer by pinch hitter Slate Alford, his first of the year. LSU, however, responded with four runs in the eighth inning as Crews provided a two-run double, Doughty smashed an RBI double and Pearson lined a run-scoring single. TIGERS EDGE MISSISSIPPI STATE, 4-3, TO CLINCH LSU’S NINTH STRAIGHT SERIES WIN IN STARKVILLE4/9/2022 Da Boot Sports 4/9/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques STARKVILLE, Miss. – Shortstop Jordan Thompson launched a sixth-inning solo home run to break a 3-3 tie, and the LSU bullpen blanked Mississippi State over five innings as the Tigers earned a 4-3 win at Dudy Noble Field. LSU, which clinched its ninth straight series win in Starkville, improved to 22-9 overall and 6-5 in the SEC. Mississippi State fell to 18-14 overall and 4-7 in conference play. LSU has won 14 of its last 16 SEC series against Mississippi State, and the Tigers have posted nine consecutive series victories at Dudy Noble Field. LSU last lost a series in Starkville in 2003. The teams conclude the series at 1 p.m. CT Sunday in a game that will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network and streamed live on SEC Network +. “I think our team is maturing a little bit, and it showed in the game today,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “We need to continue to re-focus and concentrate on the task at hand. It’s another test tomorrow to focus on playing quality baseball. We need to play quality baseball and let the result take care of itself.” Thompson led off the sixth inning with a homer to right field, as the ball just cleared the fence out of the reach of Mississippi State rightfielder Kellum Clark. Right-hander Devin Fontenot (2-1), the third of six LSU pitchers, was credited with the win, as he worked one scoreless inning and allowed one hit with no walks and three strikeouts. Mississippi State reliever Brandon Smith (2-2) was charged with the loss after entering the game with two outs in the first inning after LSU struck for three runs against starter Parker Stinnett. Smith worked six innings and allowed one run on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts. LSU reliever Paul Gervase picked up the save for the second straight day, working a perfect 1.2 innings with four strikeouts. Third baseman Jacob Berry unloaded a three-run homer – his 10th dinger of the year – to give LSU a 3-0 first-inning lead. Mississippi State answered with two runs in the bottom of the first as second baseman RJ Yeager hit a leadoff homer, and third baseman Kamren James singled and later scored on an LSU infield error. The Bulldogs tied the contest in the bottom of the fifth when James led off with a homer run, his fourth of the season. The Tigers’ bullpen -- Fontenot, Gervase, Trent Vietmeier, Riley Cooper and Eric Reyzelman – combined to shut out the Bulldogs over a five-inning span, allowing just three hits with 10 strikeouts. “All of our relievers came in and did an phenomenal job,” Johnson said. “Everybody who came in had runners on base and left them on base at the end of the inning, which was awesome. They showed a lot of poise in blocking out the crowd and executing the pitch.” LSU starting pitcher Blake Money worked four innings and was charged with three runs – two earned – on six hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Da Boot Sports 4/8/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques STARKVILLE, Miss. – LSU erupted four runs in the top of the ninth inning Friday night to erase a 2-1 deficit and post a 5-2 win over Mississippi State at Dudy Noble Field. LSU improved to 21-9 overall and 5-5 in the SEC, while Mississippi State fell to 18-13 overall and 4-6 in conference play. The teams resume the series at 2 p.m. CT Saturday in a game that will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network and streamed on SEC Network +. Mississippi State reliever Jackson Fristoe retired the first two hitters in the top of the ninth before the Tigers began their rally. Catcher Hayden Travinski walked, pinch hitter Josh Stevenson was hit by a pitch, and the runners moved to second and third on a Tristoe wild pitch. First baseman Tre’ Morgan then singled sharply into center field to score pinch runner Collier Cranford and Stevenson with the go-ahead runs. “Tre’ is the guy we want up in that situation for sure,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “We had a feeling that he was going to see a slider right there, so we wanted Tre’ to sit on it and make sure it was up and over the plate. We didn’t want him to do too much; we didn’t need a homer, we needed a ball hit hard and low, and that’s what Tre’ did.” Centerfielder Dylan Crews followed with a two-run homer against MSU reliever Brooks Auger to give the Tigers a 5-2 advantage. LSU right-hander Paul Gervase retired the Bulldogs in order in the bottom of the ninth to earn his first save of the season. Left-hander Riley Cooper (2-1), who pitched a perfect eighth inning, was credited with the win. Tristoe (3-3) was charged with the loss as he allowed three runs on one hit with one walk and one strikeout. LSU starter Ma’Khail Hilliard worked the first six innings, limiting the Bulldogs to two runs on 10 hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Eric Reyzelman relieved Hilliard in the seventh with two runners on and no outs, and he brilliantly pitched out of the jam with a groundout and two strikeouts to keep LSU’s deficit at 2-1. “Ma’Khail executed the game plan the way we wanted him to,” Johnson said. “He’s tough, and we need toughness to win a series. If we have to win a game, he’s the guys we want on the mound.” The Tigers took the lead in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by rightfielder Josh Pearson, but Mississippi State struck for two runs in the fifth on a two-RBI single by first baseman Luke Hancock.
Da Boot Sports
4/5/2022 LSU Sports Communications By: William Franques BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU pounded out a season-high 18 hits, including four home runs, Tuesday night as the Tigers posted a 16-3 win over Grambling in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. The game was halted after 6.5 innings after the coaches on each side agreed to employ the NCAA 10-run rule. LSU improved to 20-9 on the year, while Grambling dropped to 11-18. LSU returns to action at 7 p.m. CT Friday when the Tigers open a three-game SEC series versus Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss. Catcher Hayden Travinski launched two homers and collected three RBI on Tuesday night to lead LSU’s offensive output. Rightfielder Jacob Berry was 3-for-3 at the plate with a homer and two RBI, and centerfielder Dylan Crews homered and drove in two runs. Second baseman Jordan Thompson doubled and produced three RBI, as the Tigers matched their season high of 18 hits, a mark they also reached on March 13 versus Bethune-Cookman. “Our players were fresh and ready to go, and eager to get back out on the field,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “It was a good performance by a lot of guys tonight. We put together a lot of good swings, and everyone contributed to it, which was great.” Freshman right-hander Grant Taylor (3-0), the first of five LSU pitchers, was credited with the win, as he worked two innings and allowed two runs on four hits with no walks and five strikeouts. “I have a lot of faith in Grant,” Johnson said. “He’s very good for his age and his maturity. This is a guy LSU fans should be excited about being in our program for the next couple of years.” Relievers Trent Vietmeier, Garrett Edwards, Michael Fowler and Jacob Hasty combined to limit Grambling to one unearned run on one hit over the final five innings with 13 strikeouts. Da Boot Sports 4/2/2022 By: Terrill J. Weil BATON ROUGE, LA - On a beautiful day in Baton Rouge, the LSU Tigers and the Auburn Tigers would take to the diamond in Alex Box Stadium/Skip Bertman Field to play the rubber match of their three game series on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately it would be the Tigers from Auburn who would escape with the conference series win as they defeated LSU 6-4. Trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Tiger bats finally came to life as the LSU hitters finally got to Joseph Gonzalez, who pitched six solid innings, plating two runs to cut the lead to 4-3, but ended up leaving the bases loaded. “Gonzalez did a nice job sinking the ball at the bottom of the zone,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “He got some key outs and some contact outs when he was in trouble. I’ll give him credit, but I think we should have done a better job with the plan we had in place. This is one of the first times this season our offense hasn’t gotten the job done.” Auburn was able to respond in the eight inning as a huge error by short stop Cade Doughty lead to two runs, extending the lead to 6-3. Tre' Morgan hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the eight inning cutting the lead to 6-4, but Auburn pitcher Blake Burkhalter slammed the door on the LSU batters to capture the win for the Tigers. “Mistakes are made in a college baseball game, and good teams kick the door in,” Johnson said. “If we want to be a great team, we can’t make as many mistakes, and we have to kick the door in.” Samuel Dutton got the start for the Tigers until Auburn chased him in the third inning after scoring their second run of the game to regain the lead, 2-1. Dutton left the contest after allowing two runs on four hits, with three strikeouts and two base-on-balls before Devon Fontenot entered the game in relief. The Tigers would use Riley Cooper, Paul Gervase in middle relief before Eric Reyzelman would take the bump to finish the game. Fontenot had little success, lasting only one inning as he allowed Auburn to increase their lead in the top of the fifth on a two run homer by Sonny DiChiara. Johnson would bring Riley Cooper out of the bullpen to try and slow down the Auburn bats. Fontenot left the game after surrendering two runs on one hit while issuing one walk. Cooper entered the game with Auburn up 4-1 in the fifth with two outs and quickly got the Tigers back into the dugout. The Tigers were lead at the plate by Tre' Morgan and Jacob Berry. Morgan finished with three hits, two RBIs, scored twice including a solo homerun while Berry went three for four with one RBI and scoring one run. With the loss LSU falls to 19-9 overall and 4-5 in SEC play. Up next the Tigers will host Grambling on Tuesday, April 5th at Alex Box. First pitch is set for 6:30 pm CST |
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