The SEC series between LSU and Tennessee was tied heading into Sunday’s rubber match. Jared Jones hit the walk-off in Friday’s contest for the Tigers, winning it 6-3, and the Volunteers took Saturday’s contest 9-3. In game three, Derek Curiel was unstoppable as LSU came out on top with the 12-2 run-rule win to improve their record to 36-9 and 14-7 in SEC conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
LSU’s starting pitcher on Sunday was Casan Evans, who got roughed up early, giving up two runs on four hits. Tennessee’s leadoff hitter, Dean Curley, singled into the right-center field gap on the second pitch, and Andrew Fischer put runners on first and third with one out. Hunter Ensley drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, then Dalton Bargo’s double in left field put the Volunteers ahead by two.
After that rough start, Evans would settle in and give up just two more hits in his final five innings on the mound. Evans also struck out six Tennessee batters before finishing his day at the end of the sixth.
Tiger leadoff hitter Derek Curiel responded with a solo shot into the Diamond Deck on a 2-2 count. That was Curiel’s fifth home run of the season. Jared Jones followed that up with a single, and Daniel Dickinson walked with one out to put Jones in scoring position, but both were left on base after Josh Pearson and Steven Milam popped out.
The Bayou Bengals took the lead at the bottom of the second. Luis Hernandez hit a triple out in left field after the baseball hit off the edge of the fielder’s glove. With two outs, Tennessee switched pitchers from right-handed pitcher AJ Russell to left-handed pitcher Michael Sharman. The junior gave up an RBI double to Curiel, then Jones was intentionally walked. That prompted Vols skipper Tony Vitello to make another pitching change, this time to Tegan Kuhns, who gave up a three-run blast into the Diamond Deck to Jake Brown. LSU left the inning with a 5-2 lead.
LSU extended its lead in the fourth as Chris Stanfield led off with a triple into left-center field. It was within a couple of feet of where Hernandez hit his. The play also resulted in a couple of Volunteer outfielders colliding into each other. Curiel recorded his third hit of the game with an RBI single that put the Tigers up by four. Jones doubled to put runners on second and third, but a pair of strikeouts on Brown and Dickinson, and a fielder’s choice by Steven Milam left the other two on base.
The Tigers added a pair of runs in the fifth to push their lead up to 8-2. Michael Braswell III and Hernandez walked to begin the bottom of the frame, which led to the Volunteers changing pitchers again, this time to junior right-handed pitcher Tanner Franklin. With one out, Curiel delivered another RBI hit, this time a double, as LSU took the six-run advantage.
Zac Cowan replaced Evans before the start of the seventh inning. Tennessee could only muster up one hit between the seventh and eighth innings as Fischer doubled, but was stranded after Ensley struck out.
At the bottom of the seventh, Braswell III hit a solo homer into the Left Field Landing to put the Tigers ahead 9-2.
Tennessee brought in their seventh pitcher of the ballgame in the eighth, Austin Breedlove, ahead of Dickinson coming up to the plate. Dickinson singled to third base as the Tennessee infielder couldn’t secure a throw to first. Ashton Larson hit into right field, and Milam walked to load the bases with one out on the board. Braswell III hit into a fielder’s choice that got Milam out at second and secured another run for the Tigers. Hernandez ended the game with an RBI double. That hit put the Bayou Bengals ahead 12-2 to secure the run-rule win.
BIG NUMBER: 2
Heading into game three versus Tennessee, LSU tallied seven triples through their first 44 games. On Sunday, Luis Hernandez and Chris Stanfield added two more to the team total, bringing the total to nine. Hernandez’s in the second inning was his first of the season, and Stanfield’s in the fourth was his second.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Derek Curiel
Have yourself a day, Derek Curiel. The freshman leadoff hitter for LSU continued his dominant first collegiate season, finishing Sunday’s contest going 4/4, including a home run, nearly completed the cycle, drew a walk, and drove in five runs as the Tigers took down the Volunteers 12-2 in eight innings to improve their season to 36-9 and 14-7 in conference play.
UP NEXT: The LSU Baseball team will return on Tuesday, April 29th to host the Southeastern Louisiana Lions. First pitch from Alex Box Stadium is scheduled for 6:30, and the action can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette 104.1 Lake Charles.