Winning baseball games requires being on top of things for 27 outs. Having lengthy periods of failure, no matter how good a strong burst of form is, is not a sustainable way to win.
LSU baseball’s three week-long search to find those 27 outs with consistently good play against an SEC foe will continue at least one day more.
Mississippi State defeated LSU 9-8 in Starkville on Saturday night. LSU’s loss clinches its third straight series loss, fifth overall series loss and eighth consecutive loss against an SEC opponent.
LSU, like it did on Friday, got out to a hot start. A RBI double for Omar Serna Jr., followed up by a two-run homer by Cade Arrambide, got LSU up 3-0 in the first.
By the fifth, LSU’s lead was down to one. Another Arrambide RBI, off of a double, and then Eddie Yamin’s first SEC home run, plated four in the fifth and gave LSU a commanding 7-2 lead.
That lead would not be permanent, though.
On one side of the ball, the offense would be silenced by an exceptional relief outing from Mississippi State reliever Jack Bauer.
Bauer was unflappable. He struck out eight in three and two thirds innings of work and allowed only three hits. Critically, he blanked LSU until the ninth inning after its fourth inning outburst.
On the defensive side, cracks that had been set earlier in the series were beginning to expand.
LSU was challenged with a depleted bullpen after running seven arms, all relievers with Casan Evans’ late scratch, in Friday’s loss.
William Schmidt delivered a strong start, but couldn’t eat innings when a lengthy start was desperately needed. After a walk to open the fifth inning, head coach Jay Johnson turned the ball to sophomore lefty Danny Lachenmayer to maintain the lead.
He delivered, throwing two strong innings, but a bit of wavering in the back end of his second frame prompted Johnson to make a change ahead of the seventh.
Ethan Plog would get the nod and allowed a pair of base hits. Johnson, operating a tight leash, pulled him in favor of a veteran, senior righty Connor Benge. Benge, like Plog, was not to task. A first-pitch single and a four pitch walk loaded the bases, then forced a run home.
The tying run on base, Johnson went to lefty Cooper Williams to play the platoon matchup against Mississippi State right fielder Jacob Parker.
Williams dealt two non-competitive balls. His third pitch was on the inside part of the plate and Parker did not miss, pulling a grand slam into right and sending the sold out crowd at Dudy Noble Field into pandemonium to tie the game.
The inning’s fourth pitcher, Grant Fontenot, would finally get the inning’s first out, as well as the other two needed to escape a disastrous inning.
In his second night of work in a row, Fontenot’s settling presence would not translate into the eighth. He gave up a double to pinch-hitting Reed Stallman to lead off the inning, and then surrendered a walk.
Noah Sullivan dug in with one out and delivered the hit to get Mississippi State ahead. A single up the middle was enough to earn Gatlin Sanders, pinch-running for Stallman, the wave home.
The throw-in was off the glove of shortstop Steven Milam, and scored Sanders without a play. Then, a throwing error from third baseman Tanner Reaves bought Sullivan enough time to get home, giving Mississippi State a 9-7 lead.
Sullivan’s run proved invaluable insurance. Serna homered with one out in the ninth off of Bauer, but Sullivan’s run kept the Bulldogs in front. Maddox Webb came in to earn the save and keep LSU hunting for that SEC win.
LSU will try to find itself winning-play over 27 outs again on Sunday, trying to avoid its third straight SEC sweep that afternoon.
