Mississippi
LSU baseball’s pitching implodes against Mississippi State. Here’s the damage.
On Sunday, LSU’s relief pitching once again struggled against Mississippi State.
The Tigers cycled through nine pitchers. Mississippi State, with one of the worst statistical offenses in the Southeastern Conference, erupted for 14 runs on 16 hits, erasing a nine-run lead to win 14-13 in 10 innings.
After getting run-ruled in Friday’s series opener, the Bulldogs won the next two games to steal the series from LSU (39-12, 17-9). And they did it despite the Tigers’ strong offensive day. Eight starters recorded a hit.
Tre’ Morgan led the way with two home runs. Tommy White added an RBI on a double, his eighth hit of the series. Dylan Crews had three infield singles to snap out of a mini hitting slump. And LSU even received strong production from the back-half of the lineup — particularly from Hayden Travinski and Brayden Jobert, who combined for four hits and six RBIs.
LSU was dominant at the plate. But the Tigers couldn’t find a reliable arm.
The Bulldogs (26-24, 8-19) scored most of their runs in the sixth and seventh innings off Christian Little, Blake Money, Nate Ackenhausen and Bryce Collins. But Riley Cooper entered in the eighth frame and stabilized the rotation. Across the eighth and ninth, he allowed no runs and one hit.
But in extras, Cooper allowed a pair of base hits, one through the left side of the infield and another into center field. All it took was a grounder to first base and a fielder’s choice for the Bulldogs to plate their 14th and final run of the day.
LSU’s bottom half of the 10th inning ended on a double play, when pinch-runner Ethan Frey was caught on the base path and thrown out at first.
The series loss was LSU’s second of the year.