In a rather flat showing, LSU fell to Kentucky in a rematch from the opening game, ending the Tigers’ SEC Tournament.
LSU’s SEC Tournament run ended early at the hands of a dominant performance by Kentucky, beating the Tigers 7-2. LSU was never able to get anything going, and the Tigers seemed a bit sluggish after wrapping up their previous game just 12 hours prior late Friday night. Though that may have been a reason behind the slow start, Head Coach Jay Johnson did not want that to be the reason behind the loss.
“I just don’t think we played well,” Johnson said. “We’re going to try to suffocate excuses. We don’t want that to be any part of what we’re doing with LSU baseball.”
It did not take long for things to go wrong for LSU as Jacob Hasty got off to a nightmare start on the mound. He threw just 30 pitches and only registered one out before giving up two earned runs on two hits and three walks. That put LSU in another early hole, and one the Tigers were unable to dig themselves out of.
The pitching struggled early, highlighted by Hasty’s troubles in the first inning. Eric Reyzelman came on to replace him and initially did a good job working out of a bases loaded jam. He would later give up three more runs though, leading to his removal after three innings. Trey Shaffer and Paul Gervase finished off the game for LSU on the mound, and limited the damage only allowing one more run between the two of them.
Hitting-wise, LSU was never able to get any offense going which kept the deficit steep throughout the game. The Tigers did not register a hit until the seventh inning and just seemed lost at the plate. Kentucky’s starting pitcher, Tyler Bosma, was dominant on the mound going six innings allowing just one earned run on one hit and struck out 10 LSU batters. LSU added just one more hit after Bosma was relieved, never truly getting back into the game.
“I’ll credit the pitcher,” Johnson said. “I think a pitcher like that who’s mixing and changing speeds and not really giving you a good pitch to hit, if you try to do too much or you start pressing for the result as opposed to what you need to do to take the quality at bat then you can make those guys ultra successful.”
This ends a relatively disappointing tournament for LSU in Hoover. The Tigers finish the week with one win and losses to both the highest and lowest seeded teams in the tournament. How much this means for LSU heading into the NCAA Tournament is a debate many will have over the next week. Having a good showing in Hoover would certainly be a momentum builder, but it doesn’t mean everything.
Just take Mississippi State for example. The Bulldogs were run-ruled twice at the SEC Tournament last year, but they still managed to go all the way and win the College World Series. Though a national championship seems like only a dream for LSU, this tournament should not have too much of an effect over its postseason momentum. The Tigers will likely get two of their best hitters back next week in Jacob Berry and Cade Doughty, which should make a world of difference.
LSU now looks ahead to NCAA Regionals which will start next week on June 3. The bracket will be announced on Monday, May 30 to determine whether or not LSU will be a region host and who the Tigers will play. The selection show is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT and will be streaming live on ESPN2.
