LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri was visibly bothered by Saturday’s 5-4 loss to Sacramento State following the game.
Most would think the Hornets (4-3), which were shut out by Tiger junior lefty Jared Poche’ and two relievers Friday, would struggle to handle sophomore right-hander Alex Lange’s low-90s fastball and power curveball in Game 2.
As the game progressed Saturday, the Hornets found success against the heralded second-year pitcher and hung around until late in the contest. Meanwhile, the LSU offense let the door wide open by not capitalizing in scoring situations, and Sacramento State offense emerged in the top of ninth to eliminate a potential series sweep.
Frustrated by the lack production after the third inning Saturday, Mainieri challenged his players to live out a motto the team keeps, both offensively and on the mound. Led by senior left-hander John Valek’s one-run, six-strikeout performance in seven innings, the No. 5 Tigers (5-2) did exactly that in 11-1 win Sunday.
“The ability to comeback the next day with the same level of confidence, enthusiasm and energy is vital during the course of a long season,” Mainieri said. “It’s a trait that you have to learn to do. We have a little saying among our team that we don’t have losing streaks at LSU. So, when you have a tough loss, you got to be ready to bounce back the next day, and I’m real proud of the guys.”
Much like Saturday, the Tiger offense exploded in Game 3 with one out in the bottom of the third, picking up runs on a pair of singles and a bases-clearing extra base hit. Junior second baseman Kramer Robertson beat a throw to first on a slow roller to the third baseman, moving junior third baseman Cole Freeman to third base.
With runners on the corners, junior center fielder Jake Fraley slapped an RBI single to scratch the first run across. Freshman right fielder Antoine Duplantis then walked, setting up a three-run double by sophomore designated hitter Beau Jordan. One batter later, sophomore first baseman Bryce Jordan drove a single to score his twin brother, giving the Tigers a 5-0 lead.
“[Beau and I] feed off each other,” Bryce, who was making his third start at first base, said. “I feed off what everybody else does, and the when it’s my turn to hit, I get the job done when I can. It’s just feeds on. It’s like a domino effect.”
But, unlike Saturday, the LSU bats stayed active when presented with run-scoring opportunities in the next few innings. Despite stranding runners on second and third in the bottom of fourth, junior designated hitter Greg Deichmann drove in Bryce in the fifth, who reached the basepaths via a double.
Then in the sixth, electric baserunning from Freeman and a one-out single from Duplantis gave LSU an eight-run lead before the Hornets pushed their first run across. But LSU put the final nail in the coffin with a three-run seventh inning. With two outs in the fame, Sacramento State relievers walked three and hit another batter, and all three Tigers scored via either a wild pitch or a throwing error by the catcher.
In total, the Tigers were 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position in Game 3.
“You don’t have to drive a ball over the left fielder, right fielder or center fielder’s head,” Fraley said. “All you have to do is put the ball on the ground and get a run in. Myself, as well as the rest of team offensively, we need to make sure that when we have that guy on third base with less than two outs we get the job done.”
Even with a sizeable cushion for most of his outing, Valek didn’t need much from the LSU offense, shutting down the Hornet offense for six innings until Sacramento’s State lone run in the seventh. Prior to the top of the fifth, Valek hadn’t allowed a hit and faced the minimum amount of batters through six innings. He left the game accounting for only four of the Hornet’s hits 
The Akron transfer also conceded no free passes and punched out seven Hornets, now totaling 13 strikeouts and no walks on the season. Because Valek doesn’t throw as hard as the preceding LSU pitchers, Mainieri said he was apprehensive about Valek’s start due to the forecast showing a 14 mile per hour wind and an aggressive Sacramento State offense.
But, Valek’s ability to slam the door on the Hornets in the innings after LSU scored runs was the key, Mainieri said.
“Earlier this week against Lamar, [sophomore right-hander Austin] Bain didn’t do that, and even the great Alex Lange didn’t do that after we had a big inning [Saturday],” he said.
Mainieri also said part of Valek’s success is due his tailing, two-seam fastball that fools hitters into thinking he’s throwing a changeup. Valek said he simply felt relaxed when the game started, dissimilar to his two-run first inning in his LSU debut against Cincinnati last weekend.
“I felt a lot of more comfortable this week than obviously last week,” Valek said. “Big-time jitters last week with the crowd and all that, just a little bit emotional. Going into this week, I knew I could calm down. I knew what to expect. Obviously, I still got the juices flowing and all that, but once I was out there, it was smooth and comfortable.”