LSU baseball defeated Vanderbilt in a hard-fought battle for game one of the series, winning 10-6. Similar to the Tigers’ SEC opener versus Mississippi State, they jumped out to an early lead and barely held on for the win.
Led by Luke Holman on the mound, LSU kept Vanderbilt hitless until the fifth inning. The Alabama transfer remained one of LSU’s few bright spots in SEC play, tallying 10 strikeouts in over five innings of work.
It wasn’t a scoreless performance for Holman though, as Vanderbilt grabbed four earned runs off LSU’s ace, including a three-run home run in the top of the fifth.
Herring followed Holman on the mound, once again proving his worth at the rubber for LSU. Herring had the lowest ERA in SEC play for the Tigers entering tonight’s game, and he continued that success to close out the win.
Herring didn’t allow any runs during his stint at the mound, recording five strikeouts in over three innings of service. Compared to Herring’s difficult start to the season, coach Jay Johnson has begun to rely heavily on the sophomore in SEC play.
“I radioed down one time, and I said, ‘Hey man, remember that dude in Omaha that told me to tell the pitching coach to go throw three sliders in a row [because] I’m gonna strike this dude out?’ That’s the dude I need to come into the game,” Johnson said about his turning point with Herring. “That’s who he’s been ever since then and I’m proud of him for that.”
Outside of the fifth and sixth innings, Vanderbilt was scoreless for the majority of the game. It looked as if a comeback was brewing for the Commodores, but LSU held on to break their four-game losing streak.
On offense, LSU struggled to get going, but the runs piled on once the gates opened. The Tigers began their six-run inning in the bottom of the third thanks to a lead off solo home run from Josh Pearson.
After Pearson’s homer, Vanderbilt broke down on defense, allowing five more runs with two of them unearned. Brady Neal, Michael Braswell III and Tommy White all recorded RBIs in LSU’s scoring fiasco.
In the fourth inning, the runs continued to pile on, beginning with a Mac Bingham solo home run. Following Bingham’s homer, LSU loaded the bases, setting up Hayden Travinski with a two-RBI single to left field.
The Tigers brought their score to double digits in the bottom of the eighth. Bingham scored LSU’s final run after an error from Vanderbilt’s center fielder, capping the purple and gold at 10 runs on the day.
The Tigers only recorded nine hits on the day, but the offense was able to capitalize with runners in scoring position, something they’ve had trouble doing so far this season.
“We look like a baseball team tonight,” Johnson said. “We look like we should look. I’m proud of them tonight.”
Including Thursday, LSU has won three of four Game 1’s in SEC play. A win tomorrow or Saturday would be the Tigers’ first SEC series win this season, which could be a turning point for the season.
“There’s a different type of attitude guys are having, kind of a ‘prove it’ type of attitude. I wouldn’t say we are gonna be labeled as underdogs, but we’re coming right at you with everything we got [like underdogs],” Herring said about the team’s mindset following tonight’s win.
