LSU baseball's run at the SEC Tournament got off to a late start, and it also had an early finish with a 7-2 loss to Kentucky in the rematch of Thursday's opener.
The Tigers didn't have much time to rest between a late-night loss to Tennessee and a date with the Wildcats in the loser's bracket, and the offensive struggles stuck around. LSU managed just two hits and a clear opportunity to improve their NCAA standing as they now wait to see where they land in the tournament.
Less than 24 hours after being shut down by SEC Pitcher of the Year Chase Dollander, they were no-hit through the first six innings at the hands of Kentucky starter Tyler Bosma. The Tigers ended that no-hit bid in the 6th with what was their only real really attempt of the day, with Tyler McManus blasting a ball off the wall that led to Kentucky centerfielder laying on the field after a scary collision as he narrowly missed a spectacular catch. He stayed down on the field for several minutes before being helped off and evaluated for a head injury. The hit ran Bosma from the game after the stellar outing.
“We wanted to be able to play them again and dominate them," said Kentucky infielder Jacob Plastiak. "So it felt good, for sure.”
LSU scored two runs in the inning, but the chance to narrow the margin ended when Dylan Crews grounded out to the right side of the infield. As a team the Tigers struck out 12 times. The two hits were the fewest by an LSU team in the SEC Tournament.
Things were clunky from the start independently of the offense for LSU, with starting pitcher Jacob Hasty lasting just 1/3 of an inning while walking three, tossing two wild pitches and allowing 2 runs. Eric Reyzelman took over from there and helped quiet the Wildcats over the next three inning, but the damage was done. Kentucky scored in four of the first five innings, with multiple runs in three of them.
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LSU was again playing without stars Jacob Berry (finger) and Cade Doughty (shoulder) due to injury. That pair's availability will be a key storyline going forward.
Kentucky, meanwhile, has continued its impressive SEC Tournament run as it attempts to fight its way off of the bubble and into the NCAA Tournament. The 12th seeded Wildcats upset Auburn in the opening round before falling 11-6 to LSU on Thursday. They eliminated Vanderbilt on Friday, then the Tigers on Saturday, and will now have to turn around for a showdown with Tennessee later in the day.
The loss means LSU sits squarely on the edge of teams who could host regionals in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, with the selections set to be announced on Monday.