The LSU Tigers are now just one win away from their eighth National Championship, as they defeated the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 1-0 on Saturday night inside Charles Schwab Field. A masterpiece from Kade Anderson helped the Tigers get past Coastal to take a 1-0 series lead.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
LSU (52-15) opted to go with Kade Anderson to start. The projected first-round draft pick gave up a couple of walks, but eventually worked his way out of the inning with a strikeout.
Coastal (56-12) went with right-hander Cameron Flukey. Flukey did not start off as well. Steven Milam delivered an RBI single to start the scoring, giving LSU a 1-0 lead.
Both pitchers settled in early, and the wind was blowing in distinctly at Charles Schwab Field, making this the perfect situation for a pitcher’s duel.
That pitcher’s duel would continue, as Anderson and Flukey matched each other zero for zero. Flukey lasted six innings, and the Coastal bullpen kept things going.
As for Anderson, his dominance continued. He navigated the Chanticleer lineup into the ninth inning, still working on his 1-0 lead. A great play by Michael Braswell allowed Anderson to keep things rolling in the ninth, and he closed it out himself for the complete game shutout.
BIG NUMBER: 27
You need 27 outs to win a baseball game, and Kade Anderson got all of those for LSU. His dominance leaves a fully fresh bullpen for the remainder of the series.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Kade Anderson
A complete game, 10 strikeouts, and just three hits allowed is what Anderson accomplished on Saturday night. He was excellent on the mound all night long.
UP NEXT: Game two will be tomorrow afternoon at 1:30 PM. You can listen to the action on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette 104.1 Lake Charles.