Friday night’s game one between the LSU and Auburn Tigers didn’t go the Bayou Bengals’ favor when the Plainsmen came out on top 8-4. In game two, the Bayou Bengals tried to battle back from an early deficit but couldn’t complete the comeback as Auburn came out on top 4-2. LSU dropped to 31-5 and 10-4 in SEC play.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Derek Curiel led off the game with a single into center field on a full count, then Daniel Dickinson put runners on first and second base with one out. Ethan Frey and Josh Pearson lined out and flew out to strand two Tigers.
Anthony Eyanson was LSU’s starting pitcher on Saturday and went three-up-three-down through the first couple of innings. Eyanson struck out three Auburn batters, including the final two to end the second inning.
Sophomore Steven Milam gave the Tigers the lead at the top of the second. With one out and a 1-0 count, Milam went yard over the left-field wall before a pair of LSU batters struck out to end the inning.
After a scoreless third, LSU threatened to score after Auburn starting pitcher Cade Fisher hit Pearson and Milam with pitches. Michael Braswell III was recorded as Fisher’s first walk and loaded the bases with two outs. The Tigers couldn’t put up any runs, however, as Chris Stanfield swung and missed on a 3-2 count.
The Plainsmen took their first lead of the game at the bottom of the fourth as leadoff hitter Eric Snow stretched his hit into a double. LSU skipper Jay Johnson challenged the play and lost when the call on the field confirmed that Snow was safe. After Eyanson rang up Chris Rempert, Auburn’s Ike Irish and Cooper McMurray hit RBI doubles. Curiel misjudged the depth of Rempert’s hit as it went over his head and bounced off the wall. Pearson tried to make a diving grab on McMurray’s hit but couldn’t secure the ball as the Tigers found themselves down 2-1.
It didn’t get any easier in the fifth for LSU when Bristol Carter began the bottom of the frame with a walk. Carter stole second before a pair of flyouts. Eyanson then gave up a two-run home run to Snow out in center field to put the Plainsmen ahead by three.
At the top of the sixth, John Armstrong came in to pitch for Fisher with one runner on base. Fisher finished with three hits and one run allowed in 5.0 innings on the mound. Armstrong’s first batter faced was Luis Hernandez, who grounded out into a double play, and Milam grounded out to send it to the middle of the inning.
LSU also made a pitching change as Eyanson was replaced by Conner Ware. Eyanson’s final tally was six hits and four runs allowed in his 5.0 innings of work. Ware got out of the sixth without giving up a hit as they headed to the top of the seventh.
The Tigers threatened to score in the next inning. Braswell and Stanfield open the frame with singles up the middle. With two outs, Dickinson was walked to load the bases, but Jake Brown lined out into center field to strand all three runners and keep it a three-run difference. Before the final at bat, Auburn switched pitcher to Ryan Hetzler, and Brown pinch hit for Frey.
The Bayou Bengals continued to put pressure on the Plainsmen defense in the eighth. Pearson led off with a base hit, and Milam hit a single with one out to put runners on the corners. Tanner Reaves pinch hit for Braswell and came up big with an RBI hit to cut into Auburn’s lead. Stanfield advanced Milam to third on a flyout, but the score remained 4-2 after Curiel grounded out to second base.
LSU reached into the bullpen a couple of times in the last few innings as Connor Benge appeared at the bottom of the seventh and was taken out in the eighth for DJ Primeaux.
The Tigers’ relief pitchers did their job keeping the game in reach by not allowing a hit. Heading into the ninth, LSU had one final chance to either tie the game or take the lead before the middle of the inning. Johnson’s squad couldn’t come up with a hit and fell 4-2 to the Plainsmen, losing the series outright. The loss dropped LSU’s record to 31-5 and 10-4 in SEC conference play.
BIG NUMBER: 1
Saturday night’s loss was the first time all season that LSU baseball lost a series before playing the final game. The only other time this season the Tigers lost was versus Texas back on March 22nd and 23rd.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Eric Snow
Snow was the one who jump-started Auburn’s offense in the fourth as he helped score two runs in that inning. The junior infielder finished the game with two runs, hits, and RBI as the Plainsmen took the series over the Tigers in a 4-2 game. The loss dropped LSU to 31-5 on the season and 10-4 in conference.
UP NEXT: The rubber match between LSU and Auburn Tigers is set for tomorrow, April 13th. The first pitch from Samford Stadium is scheduled for 2:00 p.m., and the action can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette 104.1 Lake Charles.
