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Tigers 'embarrassing' 12-1 midweek loss leaves team searching for answers

As LSU saw the writing on the wall, the home dugout, normally ripe with players hanging over the side cheering one another on, all of the sudden went empty in the fifth inning.

The Tigers (30-19, 14-10) were in the midst of being shutout in a midweek outing against a Louisiana Tech, a team that outplayed LSU in every facet of the game, winning in convincing fashion, 12-1.

The message, according to shortstop Josh Smith, was a last ditch effort by the team to salvage any kind of momentum in the game, at the time trialing by six runs. Instead, the lead continued to grow as the players grew more frustrated.

“We kind of came out sluggish, that was a tough one and kind of embarrassing honestly,” Smith said. “We were just trying to get some energy, you can’t go out and have four hits in a game like this and expect to win the game. It feels annoying really, we just can’t seem to get things going.”

“It’s just a bad day at the field in every way,” coach Paul Mainieri said. “The best thing for us to do is just shake this one off and get ready to go to Arkansas. Nothing really went right tonight. Give credit to Louisiana Tech, they’re a good ball club who thoroughly outplayed us tonight.”

Tuesday night started much like Sunday afternoon began as the Tigers continued to shoot themselves in the foot to allow the opponent to take an early lead. Only this time there was no comeback or really any kind fight as the No. 15 LSU squad looked two steps slow and completely disengaged from what was transpiring.

The Bulldog hitters weren’t fooled by anything the LSU pitchers were throwing their way, putting up five runs and collecting eight hits in the first four innings alone. To further matters, the Tigers had to burn through three pitchers in those innings and with the ever important Arkansas series 48 hours away, that spelled trouble for the Tiger bullpen.

Louisiana Tech scored in all but one of the first six innings to gain control. The only bright spot out of the LSU bullpen came from from reliever Aaron George who pitched a scoreless seventh inning, but would surrender four runs in the eighth inning.

It was the first time Louisiana Tech had scored seven plus runs on an LSU team in over 50 years and moved the Tigers to 5-5 against in-state opponents this season, losers of four of the last five.

After a scorching 22 hit, 15 run Sunday performance in the series finale against Ole Miss, the LSU offense was held to a frustrating three hit game by Bulldog starting pitcher Logan Robbins Tuesday night.

Maineiri said there could’ve been a slight hangover following the 19-15 slugfest against Ole Miss Sunday afternoon, but also said the team needs to forget this game and move on to top-5 Arkansas.

“I’m sure there was some, especially after we got off to such a bad start,” Mainieri said. “Those weekends are so emotional in the SEC and these Tuesday games are really hard because you don’t have the team on Monday. So they have to work it out mentally themselves to prepare for a game like this.”

The only hits through six innings of play came from Chris Reid, a leadoff single in the first inning and Saul Garza who delivered an infield single in the third. LSU would get on the board in the seventh with an RBI single from Daniel Cabrera that would chase Robbins out of the game.

There were certainly a fair bit of Bulldog fans in attendance Tuesday night, but even a few of the LSU faithful stood to give Robbins a standing ovation as he was pulled in the seventh inning.

It’ll be a quick turnaround for the Tigers to try and find some answers as the team leaves for Fayetteville tomorrow afternoon for a three game series with SEC West leaders Arkansas starting Thursday. The team will be behind the eight ball once again as starter Cole Henry is not making the trip and will miss a third straight week.


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