Ty Floyd put LSU in position for a series win against Mississippi State. Then it all unraveled.

Deep into its Saturday night loss to Mississippi State, LSU had a one-run lead. To win, the Tigers needed only nine more outs.

Instead, the Bulldogs exploded for eight runs on nine hits to win 9-4 and even the series at Alex Box Stadium. Mississippi State’s strong hitting across the final three innings forced LSU to cycle through three relief pitchers — Nate Ackenhausen, Thatcher Hurd and Riley Cooper.

The trio allowed a combined nine hits, spoiling the strong start LSU received from Ty Floyd ahead of Sunday’s rubber game.

“Tip your hat to them,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “We struck out 15 guys. I think we only walked three, and we made no errors. They earned all their runs tonight. They swung the bat really well.”

Entering the series, LSU’s pitchers had two objectives, according to Johnson. One, retire the leadoff hitter. And two, don’t give away free bases. Through six innings Saturday night, Floyd and his defense did just that.

He pitched six innings for LSU while allowing one earned run on five hits and one walk while striking out 10, a career-high.

But at the start of both the seventh and eighth frames, after Floyd was pulled, the Bulldogs (25-24, 7-19 Southeastern Conference) recorded an extra-base hit.

Luke Hancock ignited the flurry of runs with a solo home run into the right-field stands off of Ackenhausen to tie the game 2-2. Then, Dakota Jordan doubled to left-center to start the eighth before Kellum Clark scored him with a bomb into left-center off of Hurd.

Six batters and a pitching change later, Colton Ledbetter capped the six-run, eighth-inning eruption by blasting a three-run shot to right field.

Hurd struggled the most of the three relievers, yielding five earned runs without officially recording an out. He did strike out one Mississippi State batter who reached first base safely because it was on a wild pitch.

“It’s hot this time of year,” Johnson said. “The ball is gonna go. You gotta limit the free bases, and you gotta execute pitches. And if you don’t, good hitters are gonna hit them, and they hit tonight.”

At the plate, LSU (39-11, 17-8) couldn’t muster enough offense to keep up.

Through six innings, the Tigers had only two runs. Mississippi State starter Cade Smith walked the first one across the plate in the second inning after loading the bases. Then in the fourth, Hayden Travinski scored the second after blasting a solo home run over the bleachers in left field.

His homer was one of the four hits LSU recorded through the first five frames. Tommy White was responsible for the other three: a double and two singles. With his fourth hit of the night — a line drive that dropped into right field — White raised his season batting average above .400, and the Tigers regained the lead in the seventh 4-2 before everything unraveled.

After falling behind in the eighth, Jordan Thompson slapped a double along the third-base line for LSU. But Tre’ Morgan flew out to center field, and LSU left Thompson stranded.

Entering the game, Mississippi State had the highest ERA in the SEC (6.74). The batters they faced have hit at the third-best clip in the conference (.263).

But on Saturday night, the Bulldogs’ three arms held the potent Tigers offense to four runs and seven hits.

“I don’t know if at one point we were leading the country in runs scored,” Johnson said. “That doesn’t mean that baseball is not hard, and when you get a good pitcher, executing the way he executed tonight, it’s gonna be a little harder to score.”

The 14 hits LSU surrendered to Mississippi State are tied for their third-highest tally of the year and the most in a game since April 18 against UL.