LSU baseball went to its ace in Game 1 of the College World Series title series, and Kade Anderson delivered as epic a performance you'll ever see as the Tigers took down Coastal Carolina 1-0.
The sophomore lefty allowed just 3 hits in a complete-game shutout, striking out 10 batters on 130 pitches as the Tigers ended Coastal's 26-game win streak in style. Tigers head coach Jay Johnson didn't appear to really even consider pulling Anderson when he came off the field after the 8th inning, having already thrown 115 pitches. The potential No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft struck out the leadoff man on three pitches. Michael Braswell's made an impressive play on the run to nab the second out, and after a walk Anderson forced a flyout to right to end the game.
“That’s what we’ve seen all year,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “He’s the best pitcher in the country. And did it again tonight. That’s been on the regular every game one of the entire season. Everybody got to see what we’ve seen and known for an entire season.”
The result means LSU is just one win away from its eighth national title, and they'll have two opportunities to get it.
The Chanticleers opted to hold their ace until Sunday's matchup, but it certainly wasn't starter Cam Flukey who was to blame, hurling 6 innings of 1-run baseball while striking out 9 LSU batters. The Tigers pushed across the only run of the day in the first inning when Flukey issued a walk to freshman Derek Curiel, who advanced to second on a fielder's choice before being driven in by a Steve Milam single. Dominick Carbone finished things out, allowing 2 hits and no runs over the final 2 innings.
“If it was going to be easy, there would be more than one national champion,” Chanticleers coach Kevin Schnall said. “We’ve got to regroup. We’ve won 26 in a row. Let’s just call it is what it is — the odds were not in our favor to go 28-0 and win this national championship.”
Both starters pitched out of jams repeatedly, with Coastal unable to take advantage of a season-high five walks from Anderson. The Chanticleers left 9 runners on base and were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Possibly their best scoring opportunity was squandered after getting the first two runners on in the top of of the third inning. Coastal Carolina attempted to sacrifice bunt, but Anderson alertly went to third to cut down the lead runner. Anderson logged a strikeout, then Sebastian Alexander was caught attempting to steal third to end the inning.
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The conditions likely played a role in the limited offense, with 97 degree temperatures and strong winds blowing directly in from centerfield.
“I think that’s the real benefit of playing in Louisiana,” Anderson said. “Growing up there, this was honestly not nearly as bad as it was in the super regional.”
The Tigers are unbeaten (16-0) in games that they led at any point with Anderson on the mound. It was the sophomore's second shutout of the season, along with a 2-0 win over Oklahoma in which he threw 135 pitches.
The result is a satisfying one, or at least the start of a satisfying weekend, for both the Tigers and head coach Jay Johnson. When the Chanticleers won their first national title in 2016, they did so by sweeping the Super Regional in Baton Rouge, and taking down the Arizona Wildcats in the title series, at that point helmed by Johnson in his first year leading the program.
These two teams will be back on the field in the early afternoon on Sunday, with Chants' ace Jacob Morrison taking the mound against LSU right-hander Anthony Eyanson. That game is scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. start. A Coastal win would force a winner-take-all Game 3 on Monday.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report