Another epic fail by LSU relievers results in stunning SEC series loss

Since winning its first-ever College World Series in 2021, it has been a rough two seasons for Mississippi State.

Prior to this weekend’s three-game SEC series at No. 2 LSU, the Bulldogs had lost 13 of their last 18 league series including being swept eight times.

The reason for MSU’s death spiral has been pitching. A year ago, the Bulldogs were last in the SEC in earned run average at 6.07 ERA and are last again this season at 6.84 ERA.

But Sunday afternoon in a four-hour, 12-minute Alex Box Stadium Senior Day marathon in which LSU and MSU used a combined 16 pitchers, the Bulldogs stole a 14-13 victory in 10 innings as the reeling Tigers lost their second consecutive league series.

LSU reliever Riley Cooper gave up two singles in the top of the 10th before Bulldogs’ center fielder Colton Ledbetter’s one-out fielders’ choice RBI provided the margin of victory for MSU (26-24, 8-19 SEC West).

"The way our season has been going, our team could have just put their heads down and quit," MSU head coach Chris Lemonis said. "They just keep playing hard. We give up some leads every once in a while, but they have the ability to keep fighting back."

The Tigers (39-12 overall, 17-9 SEC West) blew a 13-4 fifth-inning lead, thanks to putrid relief pitching for the second straight game.

“We gave up a nine-run lead, that’s hard to swallow right now,” LSU second-year head coach Jay Johnson said. “We have no choice to bounce back quickly. We have four games in five days (including the last SEC series of the regular season at Georgia starting Thursday).”

In LSU’s 9-4 game two loss on Saturday night, relievers Nate Ackenhausen, Thatcher Hurd and Riley Cooper allowed eight Bulldogs’ runs on nine hits (including three homers) in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

On Sunday, eight Tigers’ relievers – Gavin Guidry, Griffin Herring, Christian Little, Eddie Money, Ackenhausen, Bryce Collins, Sam Dutton and Cooper – gave up all 16 MSU hits (including two homers) and 13 runs in 7.1 innings with nine strikeouts, seven walks, three wild pitches and a balk.

LSU blew its largest lead in decades as State roared back from a nine-run deficit to tie the game 13-13 in the seventh.

After LSU scored five runs in the fourth keyed by designated hitter Brayden Jobert’s two-run single and three in the fifth powered by left fielder Tre’ Morgan’s two-RBI homer for almost a double-digit cushion, MSU hammered four Tigers’ relievers for four runs in the sixth and five runs in the seventh.

MSU left fielder Dakota Jordan rocketed a three-run homer off Little in the sixth and third baseman Slate Alford hit a two-run homer off Collins in the seventh for 13-13 tie.

Both teams escaped bases-loaded jams before the game headed to extra innings.

LSU’s Cooper wiggled out of a one-out, bases full predicament in the eighth. Aaron Nixon, MSU’s sixth and final reliever used by Lemonis, ended LSU’s ninth-inning bases loaded rally by forcing a foul pop out by Tigers’ catcher Alex Milazzo.

LSU had 13 hits off seven MSU pitchers, but the Tigers got just two hits and no runs off MSU’s final three relievers.

Tyler Davis faced 14 LSU batters in four complete innings and allowed two hits. After MSU reliever KC Hunt was yanked after waking a batter to open the LSU ninth, Nixon blanked the Tigers the rest of the way.

"After TD had the one inning, I went up and down the dugout saying ‘Somebody in our bullpen is going to slow this game down'," Lemonis said. "He was the one to do it. In a game like that, you have to get a hold at some point and TD was the guy who got us the hold. He got it to the backside of our bullpen. And Aaron Nixon was really good."

LSU lefty Javen Coleman, getting his fourth career start in his fifth appearance this season after missing last year with Tommy Johns surgery, got the Tigers off to a positive start in the series finale.

Coleman threw 2.2 hitless innings, allowing a run, striking out five and walking three. MSU starter Jurrangelo Cijnte exited after allowing three runs on three hits with two strikeouts and a walk.

Jobert whacked a three-run homer off Cijnte in the second inning for the game’s first runs.

By the end of the third inning with the Tigers leading 5-1 after Morgan’s solo homer and third baseman Tommy White’s RBI double, the march of relievers was underway for both teams.

Lost in the disappointment of dropping the series to the Bulldogs, who are still in 13th place in the 14-team SEC despite the series win, were several standout individual performances by the Tigers.

Morgan had his first career game with two home runs and he made three spectacular diving catches. Jobert contributed five RBI. Center fielder Dylan Crews broke out of his 2 for 21 batting slump, going 3 for 4 with an RBI and two walks.

But it was all for naught.

Because after starting pitcher Paul Skenes’ 13-strikeout complete game masterpiece in the Tigers’ 12-1 seven-inning run rule wipeout of the Bulldogs in Friday’s series opener, the LSU bullpen was a massive failure.

In Saturday and Sunday’s losses, nine relievers (Ackenhausen and Cooper pitched in both games) combined for an 18.29 earned run average, giving up 25 hits and 21 runs in 10.1 innings. The bullpen struck out 14, walked nine, threw five wild pitches, hit a batter, had a balk and gave up nine extra base hits (four doubles, five homers) that produced 15 RBI.