It was another late night of SEC Tournament baseball, but the Tigers' offense went to sleep early and never woke up in a 5-2 loss to Tennessee that shunted LSU into the loser's bracket.
The Tigers managed 6 hits on the night, keeping pace with the Vols' 6, but none resulted in runs. LSU did push two across the plate aided by a pair of Volunteer throwing errors in the 5th inning. But SEC Pitcher of the Year Chase Dollander showed why he was the recipient of that award with 6 and 2/3 dominant innings, striking out nine.
Ty Floyd did enough to keep the Tigers in the game despite allowing a pair of runs in the top of the first inning and running into trouble with a bases loaded jam again in the second, but he escaped with just one run allowed and went on to throw 4 and 2/3 innings with four strikeouts and 5 runs allowed.
Trent Vietmeier came on in hero duty and finished out the remainder of the game without allowing a run, keeping the Tigers bullpen rested for a busy Saturday.
The 2 runs scored marked a painful fall to earth for a team that had averaged double-digit runs over its past five games, including a sweep of Vanderbilt and 11-6 victory over Kentucky a day earlier. LSU was again playing without dynamic offensive players Jacob Berry and Cade Doughty, both recovering from injuries.
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Tigers star Dylan Crews went 2-for-4 with a run scored, but he was the only LSU player with multiple hits in the game. LSU managed just two hits against the Volunteer bullpen combo of Mark McLaughlin, Kirby Connell and Redmond Walsh, who earned the 2-inning save.
The result means the Tigers return to the field without much rest for a Saturday rematch with Kentucky after a matchup between Florida and Alabama. Should they win that, they'll turn around for another matchup in the evening for a semifinal showdown.