LSU had two chances to take home the Baton Rouge regional crown. They only needed one.
The Tigers, this time without any delays, rode a hot offensive attack to a 13-7 win over a beleaguered Oregon State squad that was playing its third game in under 24 hours.
The day began as a pitcher's duel between Riley Cooper for LSU and Rhett Larson on the mound for the Beavers, but things started to come unglued for both in the 4th inning. The scoring got started with back-to-back hit by pitches, first Gavin Dugas to load the bases, then Brayden Jobert to plate the game's first run. Jordan Thompson followed with a sac fly, then Josh Pearson with a 2-RBI triple.
The cushion was provided by Hayden Travinski and Cade Beloso, who went back-to-back with home runs for the second consecutive day. The Tigers notched 18 hits on the day.
“All of our bats are finally coming together and gelling the right way," said superstar Dylan Crews, "and our pitchers, too. … I think everybody’s doing what they’re supposed to be doing. We have faith in everybody.”
Cooper didn't allow a hit through the first three innings, but allowed a 2-run home run to Gavin Turley that narrowed the gap in the 4th. Nate Ackenhausen took over and went 1.2 innings, allowing a 2-run home run to Brady Kasper in a rough 6th. He was replaced by freshman left-hander Griffin Herring who closed out the inning with a strikeout. Herring went 3 innings, allowing 1 hit and 1 run while striking out 4, with freshman Gavid Guidry coming in to close out the game, but not before an inside the park home run by Turley.
The final deathblow was landed by LSU in the 7th inning, with a struggling Tommy White delivering with the bases loaded for a 2-RBI single, followed by a run scored on a wild pitch and an RBI single from Travinski that extended the Tigers' lead to 12-4. Tre Morgan delivered an 8th inning RBI to reach the final margin.
The lone negative stat came behind the plate, with Travinski frequently sprinting to the backstop to retrieve past balls or wild pitches.
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The Beavers were coming out of the loser's bracket, and particularly challenged by a compressed schedule due to inclement weather throughout the weekend. LSU and Oregon State were originally scheduled to play at 2 p.m. on Saturday, but persistent lightning kept them off the field until Sunday. That game also featured a 3-hour weather delay, meaning the loser's bracket game between the Beavers and Sam Houston State went late into the night.
Next up for the Tigers will be the champion of the Lexington regional, which was set to be decided by a winner-take-all showdown between Kentucky and Indiana on Monday evening. LSU will be hosting its first super regional since 2019 against Florida State, which they won in two games. Their last regional visit came on the road at Tennessee in 2021, which they dropped in two games.
“I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a freshman," said Crews, widely expected to be the top overall pick in the upcoming MLB draft. "I’ve wanted to do this my whole entire life. I’m looking forward to it, I know what it takes to win, so I’m going to go out there and give it my best shot.”
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