LSU's relievers provide none in MSU's 9-4 comeback win
On a Saturday night in Alex Box Stadium when No. 2 LSU could have jumped into first-place in the SEC, the Tigers’ relief pitching folded against one of the league’s cellar dwellers.
After starter Ty Floyd allowed one run and struck out a season-high 10 batters in six innings, LSU relievers Nate Ackenhausen, Thatcher Hurd and Riley Cooper each served home run pitches as Mississippi State scored eight runs in the last three innings for a 9-4 win.
The stunning loss that dropped the Tigers to 39-11 overall and 17-8 in the SEC West came after LSU’s seven-inning run rule win on Friday night.
The series-deciding game three is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. with the Bulldogs (25-24, 7-19 SEC West) trying to hand LSU its first home series loss.
"There's two things we can't do anything about as coaches," LSU head coach Jay Johnson said. "One is fatigue, we're on game 50, And at this time of the year, there's just a lot on the line. You've either got to deal with that and execute, or you can't.
"Credit them (MSU) for hitting the ball on the line and with authority. They did a better job of that tonight than us."
LSU starters Paul Skenes and Floyd limited Mississippi State to a combined two runs while striking out 23 batters in the first 13 innings of this weekend’s SEC series.
Skenes’ 13 strikeouts in a seven-inning complete game in Friday’s 12-1 Tigers’ run-rule victory and Floyd holding a 2-1 lead after a season-high 10 strikeouts through six innings of Saturday’s game two boded well for LSU’s sometimes shaky bullpen.
The good news was the Tigers didn’t have to insert their first reliever of the MSU series until the start of seventh inning after Floyd’s masterful start.
The bad news was LSU’s trio of relievers melted in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, allowing nine hits including three homers accounting for six runs.
Ackenhausen immediately gave up a game-tying leadoff homer in the seventh to Bulldogs’ catcher Luke Hancock.
Hurd was tagged for two-run homer by MSU right fielder Kellum Clark to start the Bulldogs’ six-run outburst in eighth.
Cooper was nailed for a two-out, three-run homer near the end of the eighth by MSU center fielder Colton Ledbetter..
Johnson hoped to ride Floyd for as long as possible. Though the junior righty entered Saturday’s contest unbeaten at 6-0, just half those wins are in his eight SEC starts in which hadn't lasted more than four innings in four of his last five starts.
LSU’s offense provided Floyd with a 2-0 lead through four innings vs. the Bulldogs.
The Tigers scored a run in second when MSU starting pitcher Cade Smith issued a bases-loaded walk to shortstop Jordan Thompson. Then, LSU catcher Hayden Travinski led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo homer.
After holding MSU to no runs on two hits with seven strikeouts in the first four innings, the Bulldogs touched Floyd for a run on two hits in the fifth.
MSU shortstop Dave Mershon’s one-out RBI double off the left field wall just over the outstretched glove of leaping LSU left fielder Tre’ Morgan cut the Tigers’ lead to 2-1. Floyd escaped further damage on just four pitches, getting MSU batters to fly out to centerfield and pop out to shortstop to end the threat.
It seemed like the Tigers built momentum in the sixth when Floyd struck out three of the last four batters he faced in a 103-pitch outing.
Ackenhausen replaced Floyd to open the seventh inning and immediately gave up a game-tying leadoff homer to Bulldogs’ Hancock. He escaped the no-outs rally with two strikeouts stranding MSU runners at second and third bases.
LSU re-gained the lead at 4-2 in the bottom of the seventh on third baseman Tommy White’s RBI single and designated hitter Cade Beloso’s RBI on a double play ground ball.
Johnson thought he was playing the percentages when he inserted reliever Hurd to open the eighth inning. In his last three appearances, he had allowed one run on one hit.
Hurd lasted five MSU batters. He immediately gave up two extra base hits including Clark’s game-tying two run homer. Three batters later, Bulldogs’ third baseman Slate Alford’s RBI single gave MSU its first lead of the game at 5-4.
That signaled the end of Hurd’s stint.
Riley Cooper, who has the most relief appearances of any LSU pitcher in the last two seasons, entered the game and tossed more gas on the fire. Ledbetter cracked a two-out three-run homer for an 8-4 lead that culminated the Bulldogs’ six-run, four-hit inning.
LSU finished with just seven hits off four State pitchers, beginning with starter Smith. KC Hunt and Aaron Nixon, the last two of MSU's three relievers, allowed no runs and three hits in the last three innings.
The Tigers' White, college baseball's RBI leader, continued his torrid hitting. He went 4 of 5 with an RBI, a run and a double. In his last 10 games, he's batting .489 (22 of 45) with 17 RBI, 14 runs, five homers and six doubles.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, LSU center fielder Dylan Crews' batting average has dropped 49 points to .437 since he entered last weekend's SEC series at Auburn batting a nation-leading 486. He has two hits in his last 21 at-bats with one RBI, two runs, five walks and three strikeouts.
"He's had a couple of games we're not accustomed to, but he's still hitting close to .440," Johnson said of Crews. "I think he'll be fine. He'll get a breakthrough shortly."