It was far from great baseball weather in Norman, Oklahoma, but the 7th ranked Tigers played great baseball in sweeping the 10th ranked Sooners winning on Saturday 3-2.
For the series, LSU allowed just four runs, none of them earned, on 15 hits and used its five best pitchers to shut down Oklahoma’ s offense.
On Saturday, Chase Shores started, and the big right-hander limited Oklahoma to one run on three hits in five innings. Shores walked four but also struck out four. He got two big strikeouts to limit the damage in the 2nd inning when he walked two hitters in that frame.
Zac Cowan pitched the final four innings, and the junior right-hander had another great outing.
Cowan allowed an unearned run, gave up two hits, two walks and struck out four. He gave up a run in the ninth inning as Oklahoma staged a rally and had the tying run on second base but got designated hitter Trey Gambill to fly out to end the game.
The weather conditions did not allow for a lot of offense. It was 47 degrees with a north wind at 25 miles per hour.
LSU caught a break with its two runs in the 2nd inning. With the bases loaded in the 2nd inning, Derek Curiel hit a routine grounder to the Oklahoma second baseman, but Kyle Branch let the ball go between his legs for two runs.
But that’s what happens when you walk three hitters in the cold prior to that crucial play. Oklahoma starting pitcher Malachi Witherspoon entered the game with control issues and the only three hitters he walked, came in that second inning.
LSU added an important insurance run in the fourth inning. When Derek Curiel hit a double down the left field line and Chris Stanfield scored from first base with two outs.
Curiel made history with that run-scoring double. It’s now 33 straight games he’s reached on base, the most to begin a season in LSU history, breaking Mike Fontenot’s record set in 2000.
With the win, LSU improves 30-3, 10-2 in the SEC.
The Tigers seven-game road trip continues Tuesday night in Thibodaux against Nicholls. They will head to the Plains next weekend for a three-game series against Auburn starting on Friday night.
Cowan and Evans sub 1.00 ERA
Casan Evans and Zac Cowan have been nearly flawless out of the bullpen this season. The two hurlers have ERAs below 1.00.
Evans is 1-0 with a 0.77 ERA and six saves.
Cowan is 2-0, with a 0.92 ERA and four saves.
If you ask me, they are your co-MVPs of this team.