It was a tough weekend for the LSU baseball team as the Tigers lost twice to the hometown Oregon State Beavers and were eliminated in the 2018 NCAA tournament.
Entering as a two seed in the tournament in Corvallis, inconsistent pitching and a failure to get base runners home, plagued the team.
The weekend started well for the Tigers, knocking off three seed San Diego State 6-4 behind strong pitching performances from sophomore Nick Bush and freshman Devin Fontenot.
The number three overall seed Oregon State were next on the list in a rematch of last year’s 2017 NCAA semifinal and it was an eyesore of a performance from the Tigers.
LSU sent ace Zack Hess to the mound while the Beavers went with their highly publicized ace Luke Heimlich.
Heimlich didn’t face LSU a year ago after sitting out the playoffs because reports resurfaced linking him as a registered sex offender.
After a two run first inning from Oregon State, LSU responded by loading the bases with no outs. The Tigers were unable to score a run as that became a theme for the game.
On the flip side, Hess struggled mightily with control, lasting three and a third innings and surrendered nine runs on nine hits with six strikeouts and four walks.
The third and fourth innings is where the game got away from LSU with three and five runs scored making it a 10-0 game.
A 14-1 loss sent LSU to the losers bracket where in state opponent Northwestern State waited. The Tigers committed three errors as the game was tied at four in the eighth.
A solo shot from first baseman Peyton Davis put Northwestern State up 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth off of reliever Matthew Beck.
Facing its final three outs of the season junior Antoine Duplantis drew a walk followed by a deep flyout from freshman Daniel Cabrera.
Senior Austin Bain followed by hitting a line drive off the pitcher’s foot leaving runners on the corners with one out.
Enter Nick Coomes.
The senior catcher blasted a double over the third base line to tie the game in the ninth.
With runners at second and third, sophomore Jake Slaughter delivered with an RBI single to give LSU the 6-5 lead.
Freshman Hal Hughes delivered insurance runs with a two run double to extend the lead to 8-5.
LSU put up five runs in the inning and Todd Peterson would come on to close the game out.
Peterson did his job and gave LSU another crack at Oregon State with a 9-5 victory.
Game two against the Beavers started pretty much how the first one went with freshman starter Devin Fontenot allowing three runs in the first.
After 45 pitches against the Beavers on Friday, Fontenot was forced to pitch 46 first inning pitches Sunday.
Fontenot didn’t last one out in the second as LSU went to John Kodros for answers but would give up five runs in the second, really taking the Tigers out of the game early.
LSU would go on to lose 12-0, ending the 2018 campaign in forgettable fashion.
