The LSU baseball team packed its bags and headed to Columbia to play a weekend series against the South Carolina Game Cocks. Game one was Thursday evening as we had a lightning delay in the fourth inning. The stoppage didn’t help the Tigers make their bats come alive as they dropped game one 13-5.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
South Carolina at the bottom of the first inning put up the first runs of the game. Braylen Wimmer made it to first base on a fielding error by the Tigers and Ethan Petry cashed in the opportunity with a two-run home run over the left-center wall. This was the first home run given up by pitcher Paul Skenes thus far this season.
Cade Beloso at the top of the second singled into right-center field and advanced off a fielding error by the Gamecock defense. Beloso made it a 2-1 deficit with an RBI single into left field by Jordan Thompson.
Skenes made up for the shot given up by striking out all three batters in the second and third inning, putting his total at eight strikeouts to that point in the game. Wimmer in that third frame got a solo shot to give South Carolina the two-run advantage.
We got to the top of the fourth with Tommy White getting hit by a pitch before the game was put on pause for a storm delay due to lightning popping up within eight miles of the stadium. The stoppage lasted an hour.
Sam Dutton came in for relief of Skenes to begin the fourth inning.
At the bottom of the fifth, Micah Bucknam came in for Dutton and South Carolina started to separate itself from LSU. It started with Evan Stone getting hit by a pitch and Wimmer getting another single. The bases were loaded after Gavin Casas was also hit by a pitch and Petry capped it all off with a grand slam over left field. Dylan Brewer then came in and hit a solo shot to make it an 8-1 game. Bucknam finished the inning strong by retiring three batters.
The Gamecocks tacked on an extra run in the sixth as Michael Braswell scored off of Petry’s sacrifice flyout.
Thompson cut their deficit to six with a two-run homer at the top of the seventh but South Carolina came right back at the bottom of the frame. Will Helmers was pitching for LSU at this point and walked three straight batters with a total of four and hit two batters which resulted in three runs scored for the Gamecocks.
Dylan Crews recorded his first hit in the eighth inning and made it home on Beloso’s two-run shot over right-center field to make it 12-5. South Carolina added one more run to the board as Brewer scored on a fielder’s choice.
LSU couldn’t mount a comeback as they fell to the Gamecocks in game one of this weekend’s series 13-5.
BIG NUMBER: 23
Even with the high run total between the two teams on Thursday night, there were even more strikeouts as LSU had 15 while South Carolina had eight.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Ethan Petry
Petry was feeling generous tonight as he recorded eight RBIs with two hits and two runs scored on three at-bats.
UP NEXT: Game two of this weekend’s series between the LSU Tigers and the South Carolina Gamecocks will be played Friday, April 7th at 6:00 p.m. at Founders Park.