No. 1 LSU’s response to Friday afternoon’s loss to No. 5 Arkansas in the SEC series opener was an absolute Saturday doubleheader dismantling of the Razorbacks at Alex Box Stadium.
Led by first-team junior All-American center fielder Dylan Crews, the Tigers swept Arkansas with 12-2 in a 10-run rule victory in game two in the afternoon and 14-5 in the game three nightcap to win their second straight SEC series.
Crews batted .615 (8 of 13) in the trio of games vs. the Hogs, scoring seven runs with seven RBI and three homers (one in each game). He’s now batting .531 with nine homers and 32 RBI.
“He’s not just the best college baseball player I’ve ever seen,” LSU second-year head coach Jay Johnson said of Crews, “he’s the best baseball player I’ve ever seen.”
In Saturday’s opener, LSU snapped Arkansas 15-game win streak. And when the Tigers won the nightcap, It marked the first time since 2015 that LSU (21-3 overall, 4-2 SEC West) has won its first two league series to open a season.
After being held to eight hits and striking out 15 times in Friday’s 9-3 loss in 10 innings when Arkansas (20-4, 4-2 SEC West) scored eight runs in the top of the 10th, the Tigers batted a combined .391 in Saturday’s two wins and struck out just 11 times in 15 innings of at-bats.
LSU bashed eight Razorback pitchers in Saturday’s win for 27 hits, including three doubles, two triples and seven homers including two dingers each by Crews, second baseman Gavin Dugas and third baseman Tommy White.
In Saturday’s opener, LSU pitchers Ty Floyd and Garrett Edwards combined for a three-hitter and the Tigers’ bats hammered three Arkansas pitchers for 16 hits.
Floyd (4-0) gave up a two-run first-inning homer on his 13th pitch of the game to Arkansas left fielder Jared Wegner. But the Hogs managed just two hits the rest of the way off Floyd until was replaced by Edwards with one out in the Arkansas seventh.
Floyd struck out seven and walked two. Edwards struck out both batters he faced in the seventh.
Because Edwards threw just 10 pitches, he had plenty in the tank for Saturday’s nightcap. He replaced freshman reliever Griffin Herring two batters deep into the fifth inning and threw 69 pitches in four scoreless innings while allowing two hits, striking out six and walking one.
Herring (2-0) got the win when the Tigers broke a 4-4 tie with six-run sixth that featured a two-run homer by Dugas and a three-run homer by White. In the sixth, White added a grand slam homer to complete a seven-RBI performance as he finished Saturday’s twin bill going 4 for 8 after he was 0 for 5 in Friday’s opener.
“What a rebound performance, I wasn't surprised,” Johnson said of White’s sizzling Saturday. “I communicated with him a little bit last night and knew who was going to be showing up today. These guys all positively affect each other and they know how to respond. And that was a legit response by a great competitor.”
The Tigers return to action Tuesday with a 6:30 p.m. non-conference game vs. Grambling in Alex Box Stadium.
LSU opens a three-game home series with No. 12 Tennessee (18-6, 2-3). After Missouri swept the Vols in the SEC series opener last weekend, Tennessee edged Texas A&M 8-7 on Saturday to clinch the series. The Vols go for the sweep in Sunday’s game three.
