For the second straight day, the LSU Tigers defeated a higher-seed team at the Southeastern Conference Tournament as No. 11 seed LSU defeated No. 3 Kentucky 11-0 at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex on Wednesday.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
LSU took the early lead as Michael Braswell III led off the game with a solo home run off of Kentucky’s Travis Smith. After back-to-back ground outs, Smith then proceeded to walk Drew Pearson and Hayden Travinski and hit Steven Milam to load the bases. Smith managed to get out of the jam as he struck out Mac Bingham.
LSU’s Luke Holman gave up a leadoff walk to Ryan Waldschmidt but retired the next three Kentucky hitters to end the threat.
The Tigers started off the second fast as Ashton Larson led off with a double to right field. Smith was pulled for Robert Hogan who came in and got Alex Milazzo to ground out but Larson advanced to third. Braswell then grounded out to shortstop but it was deep enough to score Larson.
Holman put on the leadoff hitter in both the fourth and fifth innings with a walk and a hit batter but managed to get out of the innings unscathed.
LSU busted the game wide open in the top of the seventh.
Milazzo drew a one-out walk and was joined on the base paths as Braswell also drew a walk. Both runners advanced due to a wild pitch and then the bases were loaded as Tommy White was intentionally walked.
Jared Jones took a pitch from Cameron O’Brien and lifted it into the stands in left field for a grand slam. Two batters later, Travinski added to LSU’s lead with a solo home run off of O’Brien.
The Tigers kept pouring it on in the top of the eighth as White hit a grand slam.
BIG NUMBER: 2
LSU’s Jared Jones and Tommy White both blasted grand slams in Wednesday’s victory over Kentucky. It was the first time that a team had ever hit two grand slams in the same game at the SEC Tournament. It was also the first time LSU had hit two grand slams in the same game since April 13th of last season — also against Kentucky.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: LUKE HOLMAN
LSU’s starting pitcher silenced Kentucky’s bats as he pitched six hitless and scoreless innings while striking out seven batters and throwing 100 pitches.
UP NEXT: LSU (37-20, 14-17 SEC) will take on the winner of the Arkansas-South Carolina game on Thursday. The pregame begins at 4 p.m. and the first pitch at 4:30. You can listen to all the action live on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette 104.1 Lake Charles.