LSU runs low on arms and eliminated from SEC tourney by Vanderbilt 13-4
LSU’s lack of available pitchers finally caught up against the explosive Vanderbilt offense, losing 13-4 to the No. 1 seed Commodores and eliminated from the SEC tournament.
A semi-final exit from the tournament, while not on par with the recent success the Tigers (37-23, 17-13) have endured in Hoover, Alabama, the week as a whole comes with a silver lining. Notching three wins in the SEC tournament has now set LSU up for the likely possibility of hosting a regional in Baton Rouge, primarily the win over Mississippi State on Friday that skyrocket the team’s RPI from 21 to 16.
The Tigers went with Devin Fontenot on the rubber, who last pitched four innings in the 17 inning thriller against Mississippi State on Wednesday. To go along with Fontenot, pitchers Eric Walker, Zack Hess and Matthew Beck knocked on coach Paul Mainieri’s door after eliminating the Bulldogs Friday night, pleading their case to pitch against the Commodores.
While a few of those guys would get an opportunity, first it was Fontenot’s chance, who after cruising through the first inning, allowed three hits and three runs in the second to open up a 3-0 lead on LSU.
Fontenot was replaced in the third inning by Walker with what Mainieri hoped would be a positive change of speed that would throw off the Commodore offense. The plan didn’t come to fruition as Walker allowed a leadoff homerun from JJ Bleday, who had 25 on the season going into the game.
Walker would allow two runs in the inning, throwing 32 pitches before being pulled for freshman Will Ripoll. Ripoll went through a bizarre fourth inning, striking out four batters yet giving up a two-run homerun to extend the Vanderbilt lead to seven runs.
Already low on pitchers, it was important for LSU to put together a nice jolt from the offense right off the bat. The task proved tough for LSU, facing Vanderbilt freshman Kumar Rocker, who was constantly throwing 95 and 96 mph fastballs over the plate.
LSU put runners in scoring position in the first and third inning off hits from Antoine Duplantis and Saul Garza, but couldn’t muster any runs, leaving the team in a 5-0 hole after three.
Duplantis, who went 2-for-4 against Vanderbilt, notched hit No. 349 to close out the tournament, making him three hits shy of tying Eddy Furniss for most hits in program history heading into the NCAA tournament.
The Tigers would find a little offensive rhythm with back-to-back singles from Chris Reid and Garza to open the fifth inning followed by an RBI fielder’s choice from Hal Hughes that brought Reid home.
More damage seemed to be on the horizon later in the fifth, but a sac fly turned devastating for LSU when Josh Smith attempted to steal second and was thrown out for a double play, before Hughes crossed home plate, leaving the score at 7-1.
Vanderbilt would respond by posting six runs in the sixth inning to open up a 13-1 lead while LSU would score three more runs the rest of the game.
LSU will now head back to Baton Rouge to await its fate in the NCAA tournament standings, which will be broadcast Monday at 11 a.m. on ESPNU.