The weekend started with a boombox and ended with a boom at the Box.
After a solid win to open the series on Friday night against No. 11 Georgia, LSU dropped the Saturday night game against the Bulldogs, 12-7. It was time for a hotly contested rubber match on a Sunday afternoon in Baton Rouge.
The game was a slugfest. Dylan Crews had two massive home runs for LSU’s only two runs of the game. Both were tracked via LSU Baseball Data to be further than 400 feet on each blast. Georgia responded though, by manufacturing a run off a hit-by-pitch, throwing error by Devin Fontenot attempting to pick him off and a sacrifice fly to right field that Josh Pearson couldn’t get a throw in with to make a play.
It came to the bottom of the ninth. Jacob Berry reached base on a single to left field. Cade Doughty, one of LSU’s most productive hitters all year, came to the plate. He took the first pitch for a ball and then tore into the next one for a walk-off two-run dinger to net LSU its second home SEC series win in dramatic fashion. Pandemonium ensued.
As Doughty rounded the bases, his teammates waited to mob him at home plate. The purple and gold boombox made another appearance after an eventful weekend, as the players danced and celebrated this massive win Doughty had just nabbed for the Tigers.
This certainly feels like the moment LSU can turn the season around and make a push. The Paul Mainieri teams of old seemed to always get hot this time of year. LSU has definitely made some strides to become better as April wound down and May has reached the team’s doorstep. With another home midweek game ahead this week and then a favorable matchup against Alabama on the road next weekend, it feels like LSU is hitting their stride at the right time.
The winning pitcher was Paul Gervase, who did a good job of holding Georgia close with another dominant inning. All of LSU’s staff was effective Sunday, but Samuel Dutton, who started the game, went the longest, with 4.2 IP, four hits, two earned runs and four strikeouts. Grant Taylor and Fontenot pitched well in the middle innings for the Tigers.
The team’s ability to defeat teams at any time with the long ball has proven to be one of its best skills. Crews’ home runs in the leadoff spot showcased the talent he has as a hitter, but he’s complemented with some serious sluggers behind him in Berry, Doughty and Brayden Jobert. Tre’ Morgan, Josh Pearson and Josh Stevenson have been impacting the game with great at-bats and terrific defense. There’s finally some consistency at catcher with Tyler McManus and Hayden Travinski providing some solid play at the plate and behind it.
Now is the time for LSU to make the run. With high spirits and even higher bass, the Tigers will keep dancing until Tuesday. They deserve to. This is a massive win.