Tigers leave no doubt – national title No. 7
A 20-run loss one day earlier was long forgotten about one hour into LSU’s national championship game against Florida on Monday night.
A six-run outburst in the second inning provided the impetus for the Tigers’ 18-4 victory over the Gators in the final game of the College World Series at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.
Florida forced a decisive third game by pounding LSU 24-4 on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers nearly duplicated the script in the winner-take-all matchup. LSU had a two-run lead Sunday before the Gators had a six-run third inning to take control of the game.
On Monday, Florida had a two-run lead two batters into the bottom of the first when Wyatt Langford hit a homer off Thatcher Hurd. But, Hurd was nearly perfect until he left the game to start the seventh. Hurd gave up one hit, walked one and struck out seven after Langford’s homer.
The Tigers won the national title with Paul Skenes not appearing in the CWS Finals. Riley Cooper and Gavin Guidry handled the last nine outs Monday. Each pitcher was tagged for a solo home run – Cooper in the seventh and Guidry in the eighth. Skenes still was named the Most Valuable Player of the CWS.
LSU collected 24 hits with 15 coming from four players – four each by Dylan Crews, Tommy White and Brayden Jobert and three by Tre Morgan. The Tigers only had six extra base hits, including homers by Josh Pearson and Jobert. LSU had three doubles and one triple. So, the Tigers had 18 singles.
Even with the LSU offensive onslaught, the storyline involved the starting pitchers. Hurd was simply much better than Jac Caglianone. Of the two sophomores, who are projected to be first-round draft picks in 2024, Hurd seemed to be far more at ease with the atmosphere of a national championship game.
As previously mentioned, Hurd issued a walk and gave up a home run to the first two Florida hitters of the game. Hurd was in trouble just once after the first. Trailing 6-2, the Gators put two runners on base in the third. Hurd struck out Josh Rivera to end Florida’s last chance to get back into the game.
Caglianone hit Cade Beloso, who was moved to the leadoff spot, to open the game. He then retired Crews, White and Morgan – the last two on strikeouts. Caglianone did not come close to getting out of the second inning.
Caglianone faced seven batters in the second and retired one. He walked three and hit one batter. Jordan Thompson, who was 1-for-30 in the CWS before Monday’s game, drove in the first run with a single. Beloso was hit by a pitch to tie the score and Crews drew a walk to put LSU ahead. Caglianone was done.
Freshman reliver Cade Fisher could not stop the Tigers offense. White greeted Fisher with a run-scoring single. After Morgan’s sacrifice fly, Gavin Dugas had a RBI single to give LSU a 6-2 lead.
Two innings later, the game was over. The Tigers scored four runs with two out in the fourth. Jobert doubled and came home on another Thompson single. Josh Pearson, who was 2-23 at Omaha before the finale, hit a two-run homer.
Beloso completed the scoring with a RBI single, which brought home Alex Milazzo all the way from first base. Milazzo suffered a lower leg fracture as he scored.
Florida had its starting pitching lined up for the CWS Finals. LSU did not have Skenes available for even one start. The Gators’ three starters were bad. Brandon Sproat, Hurston Waldrep and Caglianone worked just 7.2 innings. They allowed 31 base runners – 12 hits, 14 walks, five hit batters.
In just his second season as LSU head coach, Jay Johnson won the national title. His first Arizona team lost the deciding third game to Coastal Carolina in the 2016 CWS Finals. Johnson was not going to be denied in his first attempt with the Tigers – winning the rubber game against Florida.
Johnson had his team totally prepared for Monday’s championship game. There was no hangover from Sunday’s 20-run defeat. LSU baseball is back where it had been for so long in the 1990s under Skip Bertman – at the top of college baseball.
LSU 2023 College World Series Champs Locker Room Tee
from: Alumni Hall
LSU 2023 College World Series Champs Locker Room Hat
from: Alumni Hall