Alabama’s bats were hot, and the Crimson Tide held all the momentum.
That was until the bottom of the sixth inning, when Hayden Travinski pieced a three-run home run over the left-field wall to give LSU their first lead of the game. The Tigers were able to come away with a 12-8 win Monday night, securing the weekend series win over Alabama. They overcame a five-run deficit, their largest of the season.
“They stay with what’s in front of them,” head coach Jay Johnson said. “When you talk a two-strike homer with Tommy and a two-strike homer with Hayden…they were just really locked in tonight.”
The Tigers improve their overall record to 33-8, and 13-5 in the SEC.
Travinski’s home run in the bottom of the sixth inning was the game-changer for the Tigers. From that point on, LSU had all the momentum. LSU finished the game with 10 hits as a team.
“I’ve been between all day, taking too many pitches, trying to look for things, so I wanted to put myself in a spot where I can kind of react and just get a good swing off,” Travinski said.
Travinski wasn’t the only one to go deep Saturday night, as Tommy White hit a three-run home run in the third inning to make it a 6-4 ball game. White finished three for four at the plate.
“The guy wanted to challenge me my first and second at bats with fastballs,” White said. “I was just locked in on one pitch instead of just trying to hit everything.”
Alabama made it a one-run game once again in the eighth inning, but Jared Jones gave the Tigers some separation with a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Dylan Crews then hit a single to center to bring Gavin Dugas in to score from second.
Crews, White and Cade Beloso worked well together in the three, four, and five spots in the lineup. White finished with three RBIs on the night, and Beloso finished with two. Crews scored twice on the night, and White scored three times.
Alabama was always answered whenever LSU found a break, but after the Crimson Tide lost its lead, it wasn’t able to get it back. However, that doesn’t shield the fact that Alabama had a stellar night at the plate.
The Crimson Tide finished the game with nine hits as a team. Jim Jarvis led the team with two hits, including a home run in the top of the first inning, which established momentum for Alabama to put up another run in the first inning. Andrew Pinckney also homered for the Crimson Tide in the fourth inning.
On the mound for LSU, it was very much a team effort. The Tigers used eight different pitchers throughout the game. Ty Floyd got the start but, given Alabama’s hitting at the beginning of the game, only went for 2.2 innings, giving up six earned runs on six hits with four walks.
The relievers were able to hold down the fort after, however, only giving up a combined three hits. Javen Coleman pitched 2.1 innings, recording six strikeouts. He earned the win for the game, and Thatcher Hurd got the save.
“It was great work,” Johnson said. “Super proud of them. I don’t even know where to start.”
For how many pitchers the Tigers used Saturday night, they are trying to search for a possible starting point to build more depth. Paul Skenes has been the answer all season, but in order to get strong for the postseason, the pitching rotation needs to be solidified.
The Tigers picked up a solid win Saturday night and clinched an important SEC series. They’ll finish the series against Alabama on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Alex Box Stadium.
