James Moran, Editor of Tiger Rag
After two days of sloppy, high-scoring routs for LSU over Bryant, a contentious pitching duel broke out in the series finale.
A steady wind howling in from left-center field transformed Alex Box Stadium from a launching pad to a cavernous graveyard. Balls that would’ve left the yard on most night were instead loud outs, meaning runs had to be manufactured another way.
Zach Watson stole second and slid around a tag at home plate in the seventh inning to score the go-ahead run on a clutch two-out single by Antoine Duplantis. That held up as LSU edged Bryant 4-3 to finish off a series sweep on Sunday afternoon.
Two relievers shared the title of hero with Watson and Duplantis. Aaron George inherited a mini jam in the sixth inning and struck out three of the four batters he faced to pick up the win in relief. Todd Peterson then came on in the eighth to nail down a six-out save.
LSU (7-0) once again raced out to an early lead thanks to Josh Smith. The leadoff man extraordinaire singled in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to seven games, and he came around to score a first-inning run for the sixth time in those seven games.
A Watson single and an intentional walk to Daniel Cabrera loaded the bases. Saul Garza got LSU on the board with a sacrifice fly to deep center field, his third such productive of the weekend.
First baseman Gavin Dugas, making his first career start, followed with a two-out RBI single. He also drew a walk and came around to score on an error in the fourth inning after Bryant had cut the lead in half.
LSU right-hander Jaden Hill seemingly had the game on cruise control to that point. He allowed one run on two hits over five strong innings before leaving due to an elevated pitch count.
The freshman’s best work came in the fifth inning. Bryant was threatening again after a walk, a stolen base and a pass ball put a runner on third base with one out. Hill struck out the top two hitters in the Bryant order looking to strand the runner.
LSU wouldn’t be so fortunate when Hill left the game. Matt Beck took over in the sixth inning and struggled for the third time in four outings. His issues were compounded by catcher Brock Mathis, who allowed a pass ball and two more stolen bases as Bryant rallied to tie the game.
The Tigers will enjoy a day off Monday before hosting South Alabama on Tuesday night to begin a five-game week.