The LSU Tigers baseball team defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 8-4 on Sunday night in the Chapel Hill Regional. The win forces a winner-take-all regional game seven on Monday.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
LSU went with Thatcher Hurd on the mound, who has had an up-and-down season. Hurd got off to a quick start, retiring the Tar Heels in order.
North Carolina went with Aidan Haugh to start. He did not have as good a start, as Josh Pearson hit a two-run home run in the first inning to get LSU on the board first.
Hurd settled in quickly, and he would actually retire the first 11 batters he faced in the game. On the other side, Haugh continued to struggle after he navigated a clean second.
In the third, LSU would add another. This time, Michael Braswell III came through with an RBI single to extend the Tigers’ lead to 3-0 after three innings of play.
The Tar Heels found some offense after those first 11 hitters went down. They strung together three straight hits in the fourth, the last being an RBI single from Anthony Donofrio. That cut the lead to 3-1.
That would be the closest the Tar Heels got in this game. In the bottom of the fourth, the Tigers would break it open. After Haugh was pulled one batter into the frame, UNC had trouble finding the zone early. Tommy White brought home one with an RBI single and Steven Milam brought two in with one of his own. Another run ended up scoring on a double play, and LSU extended its lead to 7-1.
Another run would be added an inning later as Hayden Travinski ended a regional slump with a solo home run. That got the lead to 8-1.
Hurd lasted five and two-thirds in this outing. The Tar Heels did score on a wild pitch before he left the game. The Tigers started a parade of relievers after that, escaping the inning without further damage.
The Tar Heels would attempt to chip away in the seventh. Donofrio again came through, this time driving in two. That cut the lead to 8-4, but Kade Anderson worked out of the jam.
Once again in the eighth, UNC had traffic on the bases. With two on and two outs, Jay Johnson went to Gavin Guidry. Guidry got out of the inning with a strikeout, keeping the lead at four.
The ninth was an adventure, as UNC loaded the bases and brought the tying run to the plate. However, Guidry danced out of trouble again, clinching the 8-4 win for LSU.
BIG NUMBER: 4
LSU used four runs in inning number four to seize control of this game. That also allowed the Tigers to be more creative with their bullpen usage, knowing that they would have to play again tomorrow.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Thatcher Hurd
Somehow, someway, Thatcher Hurd has found his postseason form again. Despite struggling mightily down the stretch this season, he found it today, much like he did in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
UP NEXT: The winner-take-all game in the regional between LSU and UNC will be tomorrow at 5:00 PM.