Missed opportunities cost LSU

Throw out the numbers when it comes to baseball.

LSU learned that fact Sunday night at The Box.

Little Rock, whose record fell to nine games below .500 after dropping its Baton Rouge Regional opener to the Tigers, is now one victory away from a NCAA super-regional series.

The Trojans stunned a 45-win LSU team with a 10-4 victory in the championship round of the regional tournament. So, Little Rock and the Tigers will meet in a winner-take-all game Monday at 8 p.m. Central.

It appeared LSU was going to cruise to another regional title after the top of the first inning. The Tigers scored three times on four singles. Steven Milam had the most meaningful hit – a two-run single.

However, the LSU offense went cold after the first inning. The Tigers scored one time – on a fifth-inning wild pitch – the rest of the game. LSU had numerous opportunities to put runs on the scoreboard.

Jared Jones was the one player who had two chances to deliver an impactful hit. With runners on second and third and two out in the second, Jones popped out to the second baseman. Jones struck out with runners on first and second to end the fifth.

LSU left the bases loaded in both the third and fourth innings. Michael Braswell flied out to end the third and Ethan Frey popped out for the final out in the fourth. Now, the Tigers had just one base runner over the last four innings.

The LSU pitchers struggled all game. Cooper Williams, the third Tigers hurler, was the only one to be effective. Williams threw 3.2 shutout innings although he did give up a RBI single to the first batter he faced in the third.

The other four LSU pitchers simply could not throw strikes. Jaden Noot, Chase Shores, Jacob Mayers and Mavrick Rizy walked a total of ten batters in 4.1 innings. Seven of the hitters, who drew walks, scored runs.

Noot gave up a home run to Angel Cano following a walk in the second. With the Tigers on top 3-2, Shores walked the bases loaded and allowed a three-run double by Cano in the second.

Little Rock put the game away with four runs on one hit in the eighth. Mayers walked four hitters and Rizy gave up a run-scoring single following a walk. At least, LSU did not use Zac Cowan and Casan Evans – meaning both are fresh for Monday’s game.



LSU STARTERS

Derek Curiel: 3-for-4, 1 run scored

Jared Jones: 1-for-5, 1 run scored

Daniel Dickinson: 1-for-3, 1 run scored

Jake Brown: 0-for-2

Ethan Frey: 0-for-4

Steven Milam: 2-for-3, 2 RBIs

Luis Hernandez: 3-for-4, 1 run scored

Michael Braswell: 0-for-2

Chris Stanfield: 0-for-4

 

LSU BENCH

Ashton Larson: 1-for-1

 

 

LSU PITCHERS

Jaden Noot: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

Chase Shores: 1 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

Cooper Williams: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 K

Jacob Mayers: 1.1 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K

Mavrick Rizy: .2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB

LSU Baseball Cutter & Buck Virtue Eco Micro Stripe Polo
from: Alumni Hall