Freshman center fielder Jared Foster emerged before No. 15 LSU’s weekend series with No. 3 Arkansas with a new haircut – business in the front, party in the back.
Though likely a result of some good-natured hazing, he claimed the mullet was a fresh look for a fresh position. After falling out of the starting lineup, Foster returned in place of injured freshman Chris Sciambra, playing
center field for the first time.
On Sunday, Foster made the most of that opportunity and drove in the game-winning run for a 3-2 victory and a series sweep of the Razorbacks (22-6, 5-4).
“I can’t worry about the past,” Foster said. “It’s tough, but you have to go up there and hit the ball no matter what. It doesn’t matter if you strike out four times, when you come up to bat, you have to do your job.”
Though it wasn’t pretty, that’s exactly what Foster did with two outs and the bases loaded in the 11th inning. Foster dribbled a short chopper down the third baseline that Arkansas third baseman Matt Reynolds failed to handle.
Reynolds couldn’t make the throw, and sophomore catcher Ty Ross crossed the plate for the walk-off win.
It marked the seventh Southeastern Conference game decided by one run for LSU (22-6, 6-3) this season, with the Tigers winning five of those contests.
“Your season is defined by how you do in the one-run games,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “Maybe it’s a good omen for us this year, and maybe we’re on our way to doing something special.”
For the second-straight day, LSU and Arkansas found themselves in a pitchers’ duel. Freshman pitcher Aaron Nola continued his impressive campaign, striking out nine batters in 6 1/3 innings.
Nola allowed just three hits, but two of them resulted in solo home runs. Two batters after Arkansas first baseman Dominic Ficociello tied the game with a blast to right field, Nola left the game with soreness in his right shoulder.
He described it as “sharp pain,” but the initial verdict from trainers indicates no structural damage.
“Everybody’s heart stops when you see something like that,” Mainieri said. “But we’re cautiously optimistic. Our trainer believes that it’s just fatigue.”
Following Nola’s departure, the LSU bullpen picked up where he left off. Juniors Nick Goody and Joey Bourgeois, who didn’t pitch in the series’ first two games, came in and combined to strike out seven of the 15 batters they faced.
Junior Chris Cotton also retired the one batter he faced.
“I know Goody and Bourgeois wanted to pitch. You could see it in their eyes,” Mainieri said. “Our bullpen is really coming of age, they’re maturing and really finding their roles.”
The sweep moved LSU into a tie for the SEC Western Division lead after Auburn won its series against Mississippi State. Though Mainieri didn’t downplay the significance of taking a series from Arkansas, he refused to get ahead of himself.
“We still have a long season ahead of us,” Mainieri said. “[There are] 21 more SEC games, and a lot of things are going to happen. I don’t think there are any trophies handed out on April 1.”
For Foster, the series served as a potential stepping stone for a midseason turnaround. Though not yet perfect, his play in center field garnered praise from his teammates.
“That builds confidence when you can win a game, no matter how you win it,” said junior right fielder Mason Katz. “He jumped in there and he did a great job this weekend. He went out there and looked like a natural.”
Perhaps Foster’s new hairstyle has something to do with that.
“The mullet’s coming through,” he said.
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Contact Hunter Paniagua at [email protected]