Against expectations, LSU baseball walked into ‘The Tigue’ and looked like what mid-week opponents typically look like at Alex Box: the little brother that is forced to sign up for a beating, losing 7-2 to Louisiana.
It was yet another instance of weak and feeble play from LSU, on both offense and defense.
Errors and wild pitches dug the grave that LSU threw its bats into. All three LSU losses have now come in mid-week games without its weekend rotation to save the day.
The Ragin’ Cajuns drew first blood when Gavin Guidry walked his second batter, who scored on a Lee Amedee double. Louisiana’s aggressive baserunning kept pressure on the Tigers who committed two errors in the first inning.
Guidry threw 24 pitches in that first inning where Louisiana put up three runs off steals, hit-and-runs and a sacrifice fly. Aggression from the opponents is starting to bother LSU and cause mistakes. It happened against the often-swinging Northeastern Huskies Monday.
“They’re going to force you to play fast-catch,” head coach Jay Johnson said about Louisiana’s style of play that keeps the focus in the infield with hit-and-runs, bunts and anything else that can keep up pace.
He said that Louisiana was able to play at its own pace the whole game and LSU couldn’t interrupt it. Johnson also said that they knew to expect that style of play coming in.
“They’re always trying to play the short game,” Guidry said. “They’re always trying to play the game of baseball, hit-and-run, stealing bases, bunts. Walks kind of just give them ammo to play the game they want to play.”
It was only the second start of Guidry’s career and he pitched 2.1 innings, letting up three earned runs on two hits with two strikeouts.
“I got to set a tone better from the first pitch of the game,” Guidry said. “Can’t allow a three spot in the first inning.”
Guidry’s defense couldn’t help him too much, either. On a throwing error home from Zach Yorke that arrived to the plate earlier than the runner, Arrambide couldn’t pick the low throw off the ground and allowed a run to score. The sophomore catcher also had a passed ball in the third inning.
“We have to stay out of the beginning [deficits],” Johnson said. “That is going to be the biggest predictor in winning and losing. And then those are usually created by free bases.”
Connor Benge came in as the game’s third pitcher in the fifth inning and gave up a double before adding another error to LSU’s count, which allowed the runner to score.
LSU now has 17 errors in just 14 games played this year, and seven in the last two games.
LSU’s sputtering offense from the past week was on display at the beginning of the game with nonthreatening runners on base and weak contact. Trent Caraway took a swing that looked like it would change the course of the offense.
On a 1-0 count with Seth Dardar on first via a hit by pitch, Caraway sent one into the night sky and trees behind the left field fence with a nice and easy swing.
LSU was whiplashed as Louisiana got the runs right back in the bottom frame following Benge’s error and an RBI single off Mavrick Rizy, who came into the game as LSU’s fifth pitcher in as many innings.
He was wild throughout his warmup pitches and gifted bases with his lack of control as well. A third Cajun scored in the inning from a bases loaded wild pitch before he struck out the final batter of the fifth.
Rizy struck out the side in the sixth but Danny Lachenmayer and Grant Fontenot pitched a collectively uneasy inning to follow where another Cajun crossed home.
All it did was make the final score a tad uglier as the Tiger offense kept struggling. LSU’s bats stayed shiny as any contact made was weak, keeping the barrel clean. One of the only well-struck balls came from Derek Curiel, with a seventh-inning single.
LSU had seven total hits and was gifted four free bases, but like we have seen from the Tigers in the past week, it can’t string them together enough. LSU also struck out 11 times.
The only time it had a chance was when it was far in the hole, with a Mason Braun pinch-hit single following an Arrambide walk in the ninth inning. A groundout would end that threat.
Jay Johnson said that some more timely hitting and a base hit following Curiel and Braun’s hits could’ve totally changed the game, but just weren’t found Wednesday.
The team looks lost from both sides. The Tigers overall went through eight pitchers who gave up nine hits, but also struck out nine. It’s a similar issue that plagued the Tigers in Monday’s loss, where it gave up 15 hits and struck out 14. The opponents aren’t scared to swing.
LSU looks uncomfortable at home and on the road. Jay Johnson and his staff have a lot of facets to refine with only a week and some change until SEC play begins at Vanderbilt next weekend.
The final weekend series against a non-conference opponent kicks off Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT against Sacramento State, who the Tigers also play Saturday and Sunday.
