By Patrick Clay, Sports Showtime director
If there was any “Alex Box Magic” carry-over from yesterday, LSU must have drained it the 12th inning of Game 1 today. The Tigers fell to Stony Brook 3-1 just hours after securing a 5-4 Game 1 victory due to a rain delay from the day before.
Stony Brook’s two RBI’s in the 3rd and a solo homer by Kevin Courtney in the 5th were all the Seawolves needed to keep their Omaha hopes alive.
LSU starting pitcher Kevin Gausman said the rain bothered him in the 3rd, when he gave up SBU’s first two runs.
“I was having trouble having that feel for my pitches,” Gausman said. “It’s definitely not an excuse, I just couldn’t find it.”
Gausman, who threw six strikeouts in seven innings, said he felt a little emotional as the game was winding down. The senior, drafted 4th overall by the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, likely pitched his last game in Alex Box Stadium.
“I took a moment to take in the fans, the crowd,” he said.
Stony Brook’s Tyler Johnson gave up just three hits in nine innings, including LSU’s lone run in the top of the 6th, a Raph Rhymes RBI single. Rhymes was 0-7 on the weekend before that at-bat.
Head coach Paul Mainieri said he fully expects his team to recover for Game 3.
“We’ll be at home, we’ll be able to bat in the bottom of the 9th inning,” Mainieri said. “It’s not gonna be easy for (Stony Brook) to stop us in the end.
Mainieri said RHP Ryan Eades will start on the mound for LSU tomorrow.
First pitch for Sunday’s Game 3 is set for noon, with game coverage available on ESPN2.
Contact Patrick at [email protected]
