In a press conference before heading to Omaha, coach Paul Mainieri said that you need luck to win a championship.
The Tigers certainly had some luck in its 5-4 win over Florida State thanks to poor defensive play from the ‘Noles.
After a two-run first inning by Florida State, LSU responded with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning.
After sophomore outfielder Antoine Duplantis walked on a 3-2 count, junior outfielder Greg Deichmann struck out on three straight pitches, but thanks to a dropped third strike Duplantis was able to score. Duplantis was credited with stealing second base, and then taking third base and home plate on the wild pitch.
Mainieri said that was the first time he had ever seen a runner score from first base on a dropped third strike. The uncommon plays would continue throughout the night for the Tigers.
“We just keep putting pressure on defenses because we can run a little bit,” Duplantis said. “That definitely was a weird play. I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of something like that before.”
LSU deserves credit for the hustle shown on the base path, especially senior second baseman Cole Freeman.
In the third inning, Freeman grounded into a fielder’s choice, but was able to beat out the throw at first to keep the inning alive. Freeman would then steal second base, and score on a RBI single by Duplantis.
Freeman’s speed would again make the difference for LSU in the bottom of the eighth with the Tigers down 4-3.
After a single by Freeman that bounced off of the pitcher’s glove into no man’s land between the second and third basemen, Duplantis singled into right field. Florida State’s right fielder overran the ball on the fielding attempt, which allowed Freeman, who stopped at second base, to round third and score on a bad throw.
“I thought Cole could have gone first to third right from the get-go,” Duplantis said. “But I guess he decided he couldn’t have made it. I just kept looking up, things kept happening and I just kept running.”
Duplantis wound up on third base at the end of the play, and would score the game-winning run on an RBI single by Deichmann.
Freeman and Duplantis accounted for four of LSU’s five runs in the game, and now have a combined 38 stolen bases on the year.
Florida State coach Mike Martin credited both Freeman and Duplantis after the game, and said they both did a “good job.”
“Ever since the roster limits and changed bats, I think you have to have guys that can run and some athletes out there,” Mainieri said. “You get to Omaha, the ballpark plays big, generally, and the way to manufacture runs is to have some speed on the bases.”
