The LSU baseball team takes down Mississippi State 8-6 to win the first game of the weekend series. After falling down 6-2 early in the contest, the Tigers used a five-run fifth inning to lead the comeback efforts.
Tigers take a punch in the mouth early
In the first inning of the series opener, Mississippi State set the tone immediately in a tough road environment. The damage started after centerfielder Bryce Chance ripped a single to right field for the first hit of the game. Immediately after was third baseman power hitter Ace Reese.
After seeing a strike from LSU starting pitcher Kade Anderson, Reese sent a ball deep into right field to put the Bulldogs up early. The Mississippi State offensive attack didn't stop there. The Bulldogs put runners on the corners after drawing a walk and hitting a single up the middle, forcing a mound visit for the Tigers. Eventually, Anderson calmed down and struck out the next two batters to get out of the jam.
Kade Anderson struggles to keep the ball in the park
Outside of the difficult first frame of the contest, Anderson continued to struggle against the Bulldogs. Mississippi State hit just three total home runs in the previous weekend against Oklahoma. In Anderson's four and one-third inning stint, the Bulldogs matched that same amount.
Anderson's final stat line fell to six hits and five earned runs on 101 pitches, moving his earned run average to 3.52 on the season. This was the first bad outing for Anderson since his start against Missouri on March 14, where he gave up three earned runs in just over six innings of work.
Big fifth inning for the Tigers
LSU found themselves down 6-2 entering the bottom of the fifth inning, with not a lot of offense going for them. But after a pair of walks for Derek Curiel and Jared Jones, the Tigers had one of their first offensive threats of the night.
Immediately after, Daniel Dickinson rattled off a three-run home run to cut the lead to one. The Tigers wasted no time in retaining this momentum. Josh Pearson slapped a single through the right side of the field, setting up Steven Milam for what would be his fourth home run of the season.
Up next
LSU continues its series against Mississippi State on Friday at 7:00 p.m. CT for the second game of the weekend. Coverage will be on SEC Network+
