Last week was much better for LSU as it won its first SEC series and beat Southern on Tuesday 16-6 in seven innings. Up next for the Tigers was a road weekend series against the Tennessee Volunteers.
It wasn’t looking good for the Bayou Bengal on Friday until the eighth inning when they took the lead and never let it go, taking the series lead over the Volunteers with a 7-5 win. The game one victory improved LSU’s record to 21-10 and 5-5 in SEC play.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Starting pitching and defense did enough to keep the game scoreless through the first two innings. Casan Evans allowed singles in each innings to Henry Ford and Reese Chapman, yet faced just seven batters after striking out two, and forced Manny Marin to ground out on a double play in the second.
Tennessee’s Landon Mack was put in a tough situation, loading the bases after Derek Curiel singled into left field, stole second, and only advanced to third base on a John Pearson single after Seth Dardar struck out. Zach Yorke was caught chasing upstairs for the second out, and Mason Braun was walked to load the bases before Chris Stanfield hit an infield pop-up to leave three runners on base.
Jake Brown scratched the first run on the board at the top of the third, hitting a solo home run over the left field wall. That hit gave LSU the one-run lead. The Volunteers matched that at the bottom of the frame. Trent Grindlinger thought he tied the game with a leadoff blast, but the ball was confirmed to go foul after a review. The Tennessee designated hitter would end up hitting a grounder to third base. That was before nine-hole hitter Levi Clark hit a no-doubter in about the same spot that Brown did at the top of the inning.
The Vols took the lead at the bottom of the fourth. After a Ford flyout, Blake Grimmer singled, and Chapman hit a two-run bomb over the right-center field wall to put the Tigers behind 3-1.
Evans’ night came to an end after 5.2 innings. LSU’s Friday night starter allowed six hits, three runs, walked a pair, and struck out six before skipper Jay Johnson pulled him for Danny Lachenmayer, who struck out Tyler Myatt to end the sixth. Mavrick Rizy then made it onto the mound to begin the seventh inning.
Mack, on the other hand, didn’t face more than three batters per inning between the fourth and seventh, keeping LSU’s bats cold through the middle of the game. The Tiger batters didn’t record a hit and were struck out six times during the stretch.
Rizy only lasted .2 innings as he walked Clark and gave up a single to Garrett Wright. Both runners advanced on a passed ball, then Ford walked to load the bases before Blaine Brown struck out. Rizy’s two K’s weren’t enough to keep him through the inning, and Santiago Garcia replaced him. Santiago couldn’t throw a strike and walked Grimmer in to put another run on the board for Tennessee. That was the only run scored in the inning as Chapman struck out to send the game to the eighth.
Brandon Arvidson replaced Mack to begin the eighth inning and didn’t last long on the mound after walking his first three batters faced in 16 pitches. Brown failed to put any runs on the board by lining out to Tennessee’s shortstop. That was the last of Arvidson as Bo Rhudy tried to limit and nullify the damage done. It wasn’t looking for LSU as Omar Serna Jr swung and missed on three straight pitches, but it was Duriel who capitalized at the plate by hitting a grand slam, giving LSU its first lead since the third inning. Seth Dardar followed that up with a solo shot that bounced off the edge of the scoreboard. Rhudy’s night was done after that, and Chandler Day came on to force Pearson into an infield fly for the third out. The Tigers were up by two late in the game.
Deven Sheerin was LSU’s newest pitcher on Friday and allowed only one hit as Chris Stanfield made a couple of big plays out in left field. Sheerin closed out the eighth by punching Wright out. Stanfield then added to LSU’s lead in the final inning with a solo shot out in left field.
The Vols wouldn’t go away without a fight at the bottom of the ninth, as Grimmer hit a solo home run with two outs. That was the only run they could muster up, and the Tigers walked away with the 7-5 win, improving their record to 21-10 and 5-5 in the conference.
BIG NUMBER: 5
That five-run eighth inning was everything for LSU on Friday because they had just three hits through the first seven. The back-to-back-to-back walks to open the frame opened the door for a comeback, and the likes of Derek Curiel and Seth Dardar delivered by hitting consecutive home runs, leading to the five-run inning.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Derek Curiel
In the biggest moment of the game, Curiel came up clutch, hitting a grand slam late in the ball game to help LSU come back and beat Tennessee 7-5. That homer was the second grand slam in back-to-back games for Curiel, who had two hits on the night.
UP NEXT: The LSU Baseball Team will continue its series tomorrow, April 4th, with a game two matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers. First pitch from Lindsey Nelson Stadium is scheduled for 5:00 PM, pregame will be at 4:30 PM, and the action can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette & 104.1 Lake Charles.