In a dramatic series opener on Friday night at Alex Box Stadium, the LSU Tigers staged a stunning comeback to defeat the Tennessee Volunteers in Game 1.
What was supposed to be a 6:30 p.m. CDT start time was quickly shifted to nearly 10 p.m. due to severe weather near Alex Box. But through it, the crowd’s atmosphere remained; no one was leaving to miss out on witnessing this top-five matchup.
This first-game matchup moved quickly, with a pitcher’s duel putting hitters down just as fast as they were coming up until the sixth inning when the Volunteers struck first in the sixth inning.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Tigers were just on the verge of being shut out by the Vols in Game 1, which wouldn’t have been an ideal start to the weekend after the questionable performance on Tuesday night.
It all changed at the bottom of the ninth inning when the hope of a victory was almost lost.
Dalton Beck, a pinch hitter, singled the ball to center field, allowing Ethan Frey to score the night’s first run, followed by Jake Brown.
That started the revived hope for a victory in the Box.
After that, Stanfield flew out, adding one more strike to the tally. With two strikes now, freshman Curiel was up to bat after being stranded on second during the first inning and continued to fly out. He hit his second single of the night, bringing in Tanner Reaves and tying the game up.
The Tigers, known for their late-inning rallies, were in full swing with two outs. Jared Jones was up to the plate, and as one of the most feared hitters in the SEC, the crowd was hoping for a swing out of the park.
“You don’t get to see the everyday work he puts it behind these walls, but we have been putting in the work,” head coach Jay Johnson said. “And what a swing, when you ascend to that caliber, you get pitched differently, but he never gets down and stays positive.”
One ball and two strikes, two runners on base. This was Jones’s chance to bring it home and take the win after having some rough at-bats in recent weeks; a homer here would reclaim and solidify his fear factor.
With one pitch from reliever Nate Sneed, Jones saw the ball, and with the clank of his bat, everyone in Alex Box Stadium knew it was gone. At 1:20 a.m., the stadium erupted in cheers from the players to the fans; the noise was like Death Valley on a Saturday night.
He hit it out of the park, 452 feet, his 14th homer of the year. This three-run bomb completely broke the once-tied game to give LSU six.
Pitcher Liam Doyle from Tennessee pitched for six innings and saw six hitters go down. Hiding the ball well to stop the hits, the Tigers were hunting down. Even with only six hitters striking out, the Tigers had immense potential at the plate, but they were just a little short and often flew out.
Not only did the offense shine tonight, but Kade Anderson delivered the pitches that would not let the Vols score until the sixth inning. Delivering 114 pitches, it was solid and efficient, striking out 11 batters and only allowing two runs through the first six.
“That was big-time pitching tonight; I think there were elements of this start that were even better than his complete game at Oklahoma,” Johnson said.
With help from relief pitcher Jacob Mayers, in the top of the ninth inning, he delivered 20 pitches, not a high number, but it was enough to seal the deal. He allowed only one run and faced six batters, but in the last moments of the top of the third, he delivered the pitch that would shut them down.
LSU went on to beat Tennessee 6-3. To the expectations around the college baseball world, it’s only the first game. With the Tigers’ lineup back to the basics, things are clicking in just the right moments for them.
They will take on Tennessee again on Saturday night to claim the series win at 7 p.m. CDT.
