Rain delays and home runs are a common occurrence in baseball, but the LSU-Arkansas series has been anything but common.
With a little help from a possum, the No. 15 LSU (30-16, 13-10 SEC) baseball team rallied from a 9-1 deficit to clinch the series against the Razorbacks (26-21, 7-16 SEC). In the bottom of the seventh, play had to be stopped because the marsupial ran onto the field.
Before the stoppage in play, LSU was trying to claw its way back against the Razorbacks trailing 9-5. It also brought much needed life to the crowd in Alex Box Stadium, with chants of “rally–possum” being yelled among the remaining fans in attendance.
“It’s almost an indescribable game,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “As crazy as last night was, I didn’t think anything could top that one and this one did. Great comeback.”
The Tigers would go scoreless in the eighth, which would set up some late game heroics.
Back-to-back errors by Arkansas started the Tigers’ rally. After cutting the lead to 9-8 off an RBI single by third baseman Chris Reid and a two RBI double by Breann Breaux, first baseman Greg Deichmann stepped to the plate with an opportunity to tie the game.
Deichmann swung on a 1-0 count and was able to push the ball far back enough so Reid could tag from third to tie the game.
Russell Reynolds took the mound in the top of the 10th and held serve, to give his team the opportunity to win.
Center fielder Jake Fraley set up the game winning run for shortstop Kramer Robertson after he doubled to left center.
Robertson was already sporting a busted lip from the third inning, when he was hit in the face by a relay throw.
On a 2-2 pitch Robertson swung and singled through the right side, Arkansas first baseman Clark Eagan tried to throw out Fraley at third, but Eagan instead threw the ball to the Arkansas dugout which would give LSU a walk-off win from an error.
“That ninth inning was pretty incredible,”Robertson said. “Some really clutch hits right there and big at-bats. I’m really proud of the way this team battled.”
The late inning heroics erased what was a terrible offensive night for the LSU offense. The Tigers struck out a season-high 15 times.
LSU will try to sweep their second SEC series of the season against the Razorbacks tomorrow at 1 p.m.
LSU junior infielder Kramer Robertson (3) during LSU's 11-8 victory on Sunday, April 24, 2016 at Alex Box Stadium.
