Paul Mainieri could’ve sworn the game was over.
With one swing of a bat, sophomore shortstop Alex Bregman had sent the ball deep and drifting into left center field. It seemed as if Bregman had won the game in walk-off fashion, sending the Tigers to their third consecutive Super Regional appearance.
But the ball only made it to the warning track and into centerfielder Landon Appling’s glove. It was a play all too familiar for the Tigers Sunday evening.
“I still can’t believe that Bregman hit didn’t go over the wall,” Mainieri said. “They were playing their outfielders very deep, and they were just making catches. The ball wasn’t dropping for us.”
LSU’s 5-4 loss to Houston in 11 innings Sunday was almost the opposite of what it did in its 10-game winning streak heading into the game. While balls like Bregman’s seemed to always find the outfielder’s glove, a LSU bullpen showed its first signs of weakness in weeks.
The one fly ball that did not get caught came from junior catcher Kade Scivicque, who hit a solo home run in the 2nd to put the Tigers up 1-0. After that however, the Tigers seemed to become snake-bitten with every line drive they hit. More than half of LSU’s outs in the first five innings were fly outs, with most heading straight toward the outfielders.
“Baseball is a frustrating game. Sometimes everything goes your way, sometimes you just can’t catch a break,” Scivicque said. “Our guys hit the ball on the nose the whole game, it just went right at them unfortunately.”
LSU caught its lucky break in the 7th when Tyler Moore’s drive down the right field line turned into an inside-the-park home run when the ball got caught in the corner of right field. Houston would protest that the ball was lodged, but the protest committee maintained the ball was still in play.
The Tigers would go on to score three runs that inning, extending their lead to four. But reliable relievers Kurt McCune and Nate Fury could not hold onto the lead in the 8th, as four singles and a pitcher’s interference call tied the game and eventually sent it to extra innings.
“They kept finding holes in the 8th inning. We had a strange play on the interference call,” Mainieri said. “It certainly aided their inning.”
While LSU’s bullpen struggled late, Houton thrived behind senior reliever Chase Wellbrock as he threw five innings allowing one earned run and three hits. Wellbrock seemed to get better as the game went on, allowing just one man to reach base in his final three innings of relief.
Wellbrock would finish the 11th and final inning in fitting fashion, with LSU hitting two line drives directly to the centerfielder and one right to the first baseman.
LSU will need its bullpen in Monday’ final against Houston, with many of its pitchers already used after playing three games in three days. Freshman reliever Aldon Cartwright said the pitchers need trust in their ability to throw strikes and not overthink the game.
For Bregman, hits like the one in the 10th are behind him, and he knows what matters now is the winner-take-all final Monday night.
“I know Tyler [Moore] and myself will leave every ounce of energy we have on that field tomorrow. We will do everything possible to win that game,” Bregman said. “We going out there and playing aggressive tomorrow. We will have fun and let it rip.”