The LSU Tigers beat the #8 Oklahoma Sooners 7-1 on Friday night to win game 1 of a three-game SEC series. With the win, LSU improved to 16-7 (2-2) and the Sooners fell to 17-5 (2-2). LSU and OU will meet again on Saturday, March 20th, for game 2 at 6 PM.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Casan Evans got the start on the mound for LSU. He would’ve put up a 1-2-3 inning, but Cade Arrambide dropped strike three and lost the ball, allowing the Sooners a baserunner. Evans struck out the next Sooner to get out of the inning unscathed.
The former Tiger Cam Johnson started for Oklahoma on the mound. After getting leadoff hitter Steven Milam to ground out, he issued three straight walks to load the bases. Johnson then went strikeout-walk-strikeout to get out of the jam, giving up just one run.
In the bottom of the second, LSU capitalized on Oklahoma’s miscues. Johnson walked Trent Caraway, then Chris Stanfield hit a routine ground ball to third. Camden Johnson overthrew first, allowing Stanfield to reach second and Caraway to score, making it 2-0 LSU. The errors continued for OU—an overthrow to third, followed by another throwing error to first—which plated two more runs for the Tigers.
LSU led 4-0 without recording a hit.
Johnson’s return to Baton Rouge came to an end in the second after issuing another walk. His final line: 1.1 IP, 4 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 2 K.
Freshman Xander Mercurius came in relief.
With John Pearson at the plate, he drove a pitch into center field for an RBI—the Tigers’ first hit of the game.
Zack Yorke struck out for the second time to finally end the second inning. LSU led 5-0.
Oklahoma finally got on the board in the sixth. Jaxson Willits led off with a single, then advanced to second on a fielder’s choice. Evans recorded a strikeout for the second out, but Arrambide dropped another third strike. He managed to get the out at first, but Willits moved to third on the play. Yorke then tried a snap throw to third, but it got past Pearson, allowing Willits to come home for the Sooners’ first run.
In the seventh, Yorke got on the scoresheet. He ripped a two-RBI single up the middle to put LSU up 7-1.
In the top of the eighth, Evans finally came out after a historic night from the sophomore. He set career highs in innings pitched, pitch count, and strikeouts.
Zac Cowan came in to shut the door on the Sooners and close things out for LSU.
BIG NUMBER: 15 + 1
Casan Evans and Zac Cowan combined for 16 strikeouts against the Sooner Bats. OU was batting .306 as a team and had only struck out 25 times all of last weekend.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Casan Evans
Evans delivered his best outing ever in purple and gold. His final line: 110 P 7.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, and a career high 15 strikeouts.
UP NEXT: LSU will take on Oklahoma in game 2 on Friday, April 20th, at 6:30 p.m. at Alex Box Stadium. You can listen to game 2 and the rest of the series with Oklahoma on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.