The LSU Tigers baseball team defeated the Kansas State Wildcats 8-5 in 10 innings on Friday afternoon at Riders Field in Frisco, Texas. The game was the first of the weekend for LSU in the Frisco College Baseball Classic event.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Kansas State was tabbed as the home team, and they threw lefty Jacob Frost. He dealt with some traffic in the first, but ultimately got out of the inning with a zero on the board.
LSU turned to their own lefty, as Kade Anderson got the nod. He walked the leadoff batter, but retired the next two and a caught stealing allowed him to still face the minimum.
Both pitchers worked clean second innings, but the Tigers got on the board first in the third. Derek Curiel continued the red-hot start to his career, driving in a run with a triple. Then, Daniel Dickinson earned himself an RBI with a bunt, making it 2-0 LSU, a score that would hold for a while.
Anderson had it on cruise control until the sixth inning, when he ran into trouble. Kansas State then launched back-to-back solo home runs, one by Dee Kennedy and one by Seth Dardar, tying the game at two. Anderson then left the game, earning a no-decision.
The Tigers quickly jumped back in front in the top half of the seventh. Again, Dickinson came through, this time with a three-run shot. That gave LSU a 5-2 advantage, but the advantage was short-lived. Kansas State answered with a three-spot of their own in the bottom half. Two of the three runs scored via bases loaded hit-by-pitches, and we had a new ballgame after seven innings.
Things stayed calm as the offenses went silent over the next few innings. Kansas State tried to score the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth, but the runner was thrown out at the plate to force extra innings.
In the top of the tenth, LSU got three runs, two of which came on another Dickinson RBI knock. That gave them an 8-5 lead heading into the bottom half, and Casan Evans remained in to close things out. He got the job done, securing a strikeout with two runners on to clinch the win.
BIG NUMBER: 3
Three runs was the difference, as they came in the top half of the tenth. There was also a critical three-run homer from Daniel Dickinson earlier in the game.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Daniel Dickinson
The Utah Valley transfer continues to thrive for LSU. He drove in six runs, including three on a massive home run. His two-run single in the tenth provided much-needed insurance as well.
UP NEXT: LSU will face Nebraska tomorrow at 4:00 PM at Riders Field in Frisco, Texas.