After finishing the regular season with a 42-13 record, the LSU Tigers baseball team earned a double bye in the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama. The quarterfinals opponent was the Texas A&M Aggies, who took down Mississippi State and Auburn in the first two rounds. The Tigers took the early lead and never let it go as they beat the Aggies 4-3 to move on to the semifinals.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
LSU went with their ace pitcher, Kade Anderson, to begin the game. Anderson was magnificent through the first three innings, facing the minimum number of batters possible and striking out eight of Texas A&M’s lineup.
The only player who put the ball in play was Gavin Kash in the second inning when he flew out in right field. By the middle of the third, the sophomore ace for the Tigers threw 36 pitches.
Going back to the first inning, the Bayou Bengals took the early lead at the bottom of the frame. Leadoff hitter Derek Curiel doubled into right field, and Jared Jones walked to put runners on first and second base. Both runners advanced on a Daniel Dickinson groundout, then Curiel scored on an RBI double by Ethan Frey. Luis Hernandez followed that up with a groundout to shortstop. That allowed Jones to get home and put LSU ahead 2-0 through one inning.
The Tigers extended their lead in the third on a big swing by their four-hole hitter. Curiel and Jones struck out early, so, with two outs, Daniel Dickinson reached on a fielding error by Kaeden Kent, and Frey went yard, hitting a two-run home run over the left center field wall to give the Bayou Bengals the four-run advantage.
A&M’s lineup made adjustments in the fourth and began to attack Anderson on the second time through. Kent walked and was the first Aggie to get on base, and Wyatt Kenseler singled before Kent advanced to third base on a passed ball, putting runners on the corners. Jace LaViolette’s status was questioned before the game, but he started despite an injury to his fingers. LaViolette singled past first base to drive in Texas A&M’s run in his second time at the plate. Kash then flew out to left field and helped Kenseler score to cut LSU’s lead in half.
Aggie starting pitcher Myles Patton was pulled in the fifth in favor of Clayton Freshcorn. Patton’s final stat line was four hits and runs allowed in 4.2 innings of work. He also struck out three LSU batters.
Texas A&M added another run in the sixth when LaViolette hit a sacrifice fly to score Kent, who doubled down the right field line to open the inning. The run cut it to a one-run game that LSU led 4-3.
Anderson was pulled before the seventh inning after a 12-strikeout performance. LSU’s other ace pitcher, Anthony Eyanson, filled in relief and had a wild opening inning on the mound. Chris Stanfield misjudged a diving attempt in center field, and Kash turned his hit into a triple. Ben Royo then looked to have also gotten to third and helped score a run, but was called for runner’s interference after hitting Jones’ glove on a throw to first. Terrence Kiel II grounded out, and pinch hitter Hayden Schlott struck out to send it to the seventh inning stretch and strand Kash on third.
The Tiger bats continued to grow cold through the eighth inning and left the door open for the Aggies. Freshcorn had a strong performance, punching out five LSU batters in 3.1 innings of work and didn’t allow a hit.
In their final attempt, Texas A&M tried to at the minimum tie the game. Eyanson struck out LaViolette and Bear Harrison to put the pressure on the Aggies. Kash walked, Royo singled to put runners on first and third base, and the winning run on first. Kiel secured the win for the Tigers, though, as he hit into a fielder’s choice, ending A&M’s season and advancing LSU to the semifinals in a 4-3 ball game.
BIG NUMBER: 16
Head coach Jay Johnson decided to play both of his ace pitchers on Thursday, and it worked well as they combined to strike out 16 Texas A&M batters (Anderson 12, Eyanson 4). The Aggies, on the other hand, recorded eight Ks as Patton had three and Freshcorn was responsible for the other five.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Ethan Frey
Frey’s bat was on fire early on in the game, getting a pair of extra-base hits, including a home run in the third inning. Those hits helped give LSU enough offense to win 4-3 against Texas A&M and move on to the next round of the tournament.
UP NEXT: The LSU Tigers baseball team will return for the semifinals of the SEC Tournament. Their opponent will be the Ole Miss Rebels. First pitch from Hoover, Alabama is set for 1:30 pm, and the action can be heard on ESPN 103.7 LaFayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.