LSU baseball scored 42 runs and swept No. 21 Vanderbilt on the road, moving up to No. 23 in the RPI rankings
After a dominant start in a 13-2 series-opening win on Thursday, sophomore centerfielder Dylan Crews unloaded two homers Friday night in game two to lead LSU to an 8-3 win over Vanderbilt at Hawkins Field. Friday’s win clinched LSU’s first series victory in Nashville since 2005. The Purple and Gold had lost four straight series at Vanderbilt prior to this weekend.
Crews went 2-4 at the plate in game two with two homers and three RBI, increasing his home run count this season to 20.
“Obviously, a great night again for Dylan, and we had outstanding plate discipline throughout the lineup,” said LSU Head Coach Jay Johnson. “We played a very complete game, and this is a good win for us.
Crews put the world of college baseball on notice when he launched the first pitch of the game over the left-center field wall for his 19th home run of the season. The Tigers continued their success at the plate by putting four runs on the board in the second inning in a rally highlighted by Crews’ two-out, two-run home run. Sophomore second baseman Cade Doughty led off the inning with a walk and later scored on a wild pitch, and senior catcher Tyler McManus ended the rally on an RBI groundout.
The Commodores plated a run for the first time in the bottom of the second inning when third baseman Parker Noland smacked his sixth homer of the season and closed the gap to 5-1.
LSU added another run in the fourth inning when McManus walked, moved to second base on a walk from sophomore third baseman Collier Cranford, advanced to third on a walk to Crews and scored on freshman left fielder Josh Pearson’s groundout.
The Tigers extended the lead to 8-1 in the seventh inning against Vanderbilt reliever Nick Maldonado when sophomore first baseman Tre’ Morgan doubled and scored on Doughty’s double, and sophomore shortstop Jordan Thompson lined an RBI single.
“We need to come out focused tomorrow, because we’ll get Vanderbilt’s best shot,” Johnson said. “It will be a tough, competitive game, so we’ll have to be ready.”
LSU’s sophomore starting pitcher Ty Floyd was credited with the win. He limited the Commodores to one run on four hits in 5.1 innings with no walks and seven strikeouts.
“I’m real proud of Ty,” Johnson said, “because I think we’re starting to see what he can become.”
LSU completed the sweep of No. 23 Vanderbilt with a 21-10 comeback victory on Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore right fielder Brayden Jobert launched two home runs and collected a school record nine RBI. Jobert was 4-6 at the plate Saturday with a grand slam, a three-run homer and a two-RBI double to lead LSU’s 17-hit attack.
His grand slam was the defining blow of an 11-run LSU eighth inning that erased a 9-7 Vanderbilt lead and completed the comeback. Jobert’s nine RBI tied the LSU single-game record set in 1999 by Eric Hendrickson against Ohio University.
“We made some small adjustments this week with Brayden, he went to work with it, and it’s really gratifying to see the results,” said Johnson. “It’s allowed him to connect his bat to his strength, and he’s incredibly strong, so it’s been a great week for him.”
Vanderbilt put runs on the board early with a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. The Commodores sent 11 men to the plate and delivered eight straight two-out hits, including a two-run homer by right fielder Spencer Jones.
The Tigers responded with three runs in the top of the third inning when first baseman Tre’ Morgan smacked an RBI double, and Jobert lined a two-out, two-run double to slash Vanderbilt’s lead in half. LSU narrowed the gap to 6-4 in the sixth inning with catcher Tyler McManus’ solo homer, his ninth of the year.
Jones blasted his second two-run home run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, which extended the Commodores’ lead to 8-4. Jobert continued to keep the Tigers in the ballgame with a three-run homer in the seventh inning against reliever Nelson Berkwich to cut the deficit to 8-7. Then, Vanderbilt plated a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a two-run lead.
The Tigers responded in the eighth inning with 11 runs in a seven-hit rally. The rally included Jobert’s grand slam, RBI singles by left fielder Josh Pearson, second baseman Cade Doughty and shortstop Jordan Thompson, a run-scoring double by third baseman Collier Cranford, a two-RBI sacrifice bunt by freshman pinch hitter Josh Stevenson, and an RBI single by Morgan.
LSU poured it on in the top of the ninth inning and added three security runs. Centerfielder Dylan Crews smacked a two-run homer, his 21st of the season, and McManus provided a sacrifice fly.
LSU swept three games in Nashville for the first time in program history, completed the regular season with a 37-18 overall record, 17-13 in the SEC. Vanderbilt dropped to 35-19 overall and 14-16 in conference play.
“Vanderbilt is the gold standard of college baseball right now, and to come in here and sweep them is something I’m really proud of,” Johnson said.
Off the back of the dominant sweep over Vanderbilt, LSU now enters the SEC Tournament with momentum. The Tigers clinched the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament on the final day of the season, meaning they will have a first-round bye, placing them directly into the double elimination round. LSU will play 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 4:30 p.m. game on Wednesday, May 25 against the winner of Auburn vs. Kentucky on Tuesday.
LSU enters the tournament on a four-game win streak highlighted by the sweep of Vanderbilt where the Tigers scored a combined 42 runs over the three games. The hot bats have been a storyline this season with four players batting over .300 and three with more than 15 home runs. The bats are led by the constantly dangerous Crews who is tied for the SEC lead in home runs at 21. He also bats .345 helped by a 7-13 performance on the series against Vanderbilt.
Hitting and getting on base for the Tigers should not be an issue, so getting consistency out of the pitching staff and defense will be key. LSU ranks dead last in the SEC in fielding percentage and leads in errors. LSU’s 76 errors is 20 more than the next worst team and has cost the Tigers multiple games this season.
On the mound, LSU only has one lights out starter in Ma’Khail Hilliard who is 6-1 on the season in 13 starts and has a 4.13 ERA. LSU’s staff overall has been relatively strong though, ranking fourth in the SEC in ERA. Eric Reyzelman, Paul Gervase, Jacob Hasty, and Riley Cooper have all been among the most impressive contributors this season in a bullpen that runs very deep.
For LSU to make a deep run in this tournament, the biggest key will be to limit mistakes and continue to get good matchups out of the bullpen. Johnson has done a good job all season long with situational pitching and getting the right matchups at the right times. LSU has enough firepower in its lineup to manufacture runs, so utilizing the deep bullpen and getting the big outs will be key. There will not be as much pressure on LSU this time with a regional host site seemingly already locked up. Unlike last year when LSU was fighting for its postseason life in the SEC Tournament, it seems the Tigers can only help themselves in Hoover this year.
