LSU wins final home series vs Arkansas

LSU team huddle: Photo by: Mac Brod

By Andrew Riedell

The LSU Tigers returned home after a disappointing road loss to Texas A&M and had a tough task ahead of them: a steaming-hot Arkansas Razorback team that just swept the #1 Texas Longhorns at home the week before.

I had the privilege of being there Friday and Sunday of this series to watch these two teams go head to head, and let me tell you, this will most likely not be the last time this season. Both games I covered had a postseason type of feel in the air, and both games came down to the final batter. Here is how probably the most anticipated series of the weekend went:

Friday: LSU 5 Arkansas 4 (10 Innings)

As I walked up to the press box, I had a feeling we were not going to be playing baseball at the scheduled 6:30 pm. That indeed was the case, as we had another late night at Alex Box Stadium with a first pitch at 9:55.

Kade Anderson vs. Zach Root was the pitching matchup, and it was as good as advertised, trading zeroes back and forth through the first two innings. Jared Jones brought in the first run of the game on an RBI single in the 3rd inning. Cam Kozeal answered back quickly, though, with an opposite-field frozen-rope home run in the 4th.

Ethan Frey, who has hit left handed pitching really well all season, then retook the lead for LSU, going to the opposite field with a solo home run that made it 2-1. Charles Davalan again tied the scored in the fifth on a sacrifice fly.

Anderson's pitch count was getting elevated and in the top of the 6th on pitch 100, Kuhio Aloy sent the pitch over the left field wall to make it 3-2. Anderson recorded just two more outs before leaving the game due to a forearm cramp. It could have been worse, LSU fans, as Kade has dealt with a torn UCL that made him miss his senior year of high school and a hammate bone injury as well.

Head Coach Jay Johnson later said Anderson could have continued, but it was a business decision to take him out. Chase Shores followed and allowed a run in the 7th to make it 4-2 in favor of Arkansas.

For the Razorbacks, Aidan Jimenez followed Root after his six innings of work. Jimenez has been stellar all season, especially with his low-walk numbers, but he got only one out, walking two and giving up two hits, including the game-tying hit to Derek Curiel that made it 4-4.

Gabe Gaeckle followed Jimenez and kept the Tigers off the board. It would be then become Zac Cowan vs Gaeckle, as they traded zeroes and kept both teams at bay until the top of the 10th. With the bases loaded, it was Cowan pitching to Reese Robinett and getting him to strike out on a check swing that ended the jam. Jared Jones started the bottom of the 10th with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch. He reached third on a ground out, and Frey was the hero, lifting a sacrifice fly that brought home Jones with the game-one-winning run.

Saturday: LSU 13 Arkansas 3 (7 Innings)

It was all LSU in this one, and I was disappointed to have not seen this one live due to personal commitments (graduation and a little sleep). It was Gage Wood vs Anthony Eyanson in this one, and I thought it was going to be a pitching duel.

But, Gage Wood got ambushed by the LSU lineup, Jake Brown jumping all over him in the bottom of the 1st inning for a three-run home run that made it 3-0 early for LSU. Cade Arrambide followed that with a home run in the 2nd before Brown launched his second jack of the game to expand the score to 5-0 LSU.

A six-run 5th inning helped put LSU up 12-0, capped off by Frey's three-run homer. Eyanson was lights out again for the Tigers, throwing 6 innings of shutout ball while striking out 11. Arkansas scored three runs in the 7th off the LSU bullpen before the Tigers walked off the run-rule on a weird dropped-third-strike throwing error that clinched the series.

Sunday: Arkansas 7 LSU 4

Arkansas salvaged a game Sunday, the Razorback bats ambushing Casan Evans in the 3rd inning. The Tigers had actually taken a 2-0 lead early, thanks to solo home runs by Luis Hernandez and Steven Milam. But, after that, it was all Arkansas, as their bullpen surrendered a run in the 3rd before essentially keeping LSU off the board the rest of the way.

Arkansas scored four off Casan Evans in the 3rd inning, Wehiwa Aloy bringing in the first run on a sacrifice fly that cut it to 2-1 with two outs. Ryder Helfrick singled home one run, and Kozeal brought in two more with a single up the middle.

In his third start, Evans struggled putting away the Arkansas hitters, similar to how he did with the Texas A&M hitters last week. Johnson later said, "There isn't a freshman pitcher in the conference, to my knowledge, that faced the two teams in the national championship with a bunch of guys back, and then Arkansas, the team that is probably favored to win the national championship--that's a pretty tall ask from that young man."

Arkansas got another run off Shores in the 5th, but he was otherwise lights out in his 3 1/3 innings of work. Johnson was ejected in the top of the 8th for arguing balls and strikes, some in attendance feeling the zone wasn't as good as it has been. LSU had earlier gotten a bench warning in the 1st, leading to the ejection. Arkansas scored two more in the 9th, the beneficiary of four walks from the LSU bullpen, and held on for the win.

Riedell's Report:

This whole weekend had the makings of just great baseball from both teams. LSU was able to get the timely hitting and timely pitching when they needed it to win the series. Arkansas really impressed me this weekend, though, as their at-bats off quality arms like Anderson, Cowan, Evans, and Shores helped produce runs. I fully expect this Arkansas team will be in Omaha. And, I can almost guarantee you we will see these two teams face off again, most likely in Omaha or at the end of the SEC Tournament in Hoover.

LSU at bats were much better Friday and Saturday than last week, and pitching has continued to be stellar as well. Shores has shown he can be a valuable asset out of the bullpen, even on short rest and coming off Tommy John surgery, saying he feels healthy and ready to help this team get to Omaha. On Arkansas, I was also very impressed by Gaeckle out of the bullpen, and he looked dominant after struggling earlier in the year as the Friday night starter for Arkansas.

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