LSU baseball lost 10-4 in a gritty matchup versus Little Rock in the regional final on Sunday.
The Trojans continued their hot streak, scoring 40 runs through the three games they played after being shut out on Friday night by LSU.
LSU took an early 3-0 lead in the first inning, but Angel Cano’s two-run home run, followed by a double and a walk in the bottom of the second, put Little Rock in a position to flip the game on its head.
But Chase Shores shut the door on the Trojans’ momentum when he struck out both batters he faced after replacing Jaden Noot in the second inning.
When Shores came back out for the third inning, he walked the bases loaded with one out. Then, Cano hit a bases-clearing double into right field to give him a five-RBI day and the Trojans the lead.
The Tigers ended what felt like an inning that would never end when Cooper Williams, who relieved Shores in the third, got out of the 30-minute-long frame.
Williams’ 3.2 innings of scoreless baseball kept LSU in reach while the offense attempted to chip away at the three-run lead. The Tigers got within two, but everything unraveled when Mayers allowed four free passes and a run in the bottom of the eighth before Maverick Rizy took the mound in relief.
“That’s why I believe he could be a starter,” head coach Jay Johnson said. “I have a lot of confidence, and he’s had a really good season in the opportunities that we’ve given him.”
The Trojans made Rizy surrender the three runners Mayers left on to record a four-run bottom half of the eighth.
The Tigers could never plate anything in the top of the ninth inning, ending the game on a three-up, three-down frame.
“I think it’s just about opportunity tomorrow,” Johnson said. “Less than 24 hours ago, we probably played the cleanest and best brand of baseball that you could possibly play.”
LSU’s inability to score base runners cost them. LSU had loaded the bases with two outs in both the third and fourth innings, but could not plate any runs. Overall, LSU left 10 runners stranded.
“They’ve done a good job of bouncing back after a tough game, both individually and collectively this year,” Johnson said. “It gives me great confidence about what they can do tomorrow.”
LSU will now face Little Rock again on Monday at 8 p.m. CT to decide who will advance to the super regional round.
