Tag: Hattiesburg Regional

The future is bright for LSU baseball with Jay Johnson

The Tigers are primed to return to the top of the sport in the coming years.

That was a wild ride.

It’s hard to think of a better way to sum up LSU baseball in its first year under coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag]. The Hattiesburg Regional was just one weekend, but it represented what LSU was in 2021.

They were a fun team capable of providing fireworks and winning any game. They were also a group that could never find consistency.

Despite offensive superstars like [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] and [autotag]Jacob Berry[/autotag], LSU just did not have the run prevention to back it up.

Pitching and defense were spotty from the start to the finish this year and LSU. They were weaknesses that were revealed once again in Hattiesburg as LSU dropped that crucial Game 7.

Despite all that, it’s hard not to be optimistic about where this program is headed.

Johnson checked a lot of boxes in his first year. He led a team that showed fight and never quit. He had to find ways to manage a pitching staff that rarely gave length and, to be frank, was overmatched at times.

On top of that, Johnson and staff killed it on the recruiting trail and are slated to bring in the top class in the country.

LSU is always going to have talent. In 2021, a transition year, Johnson managed to sign a top 10 class. In 2020, LSU’s class was ranked in the top five.

The Tigers will have big-time firepower at the plate again next year. A couple of sluggers are likely headed off to the MLB, but Crews will be back along with [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag].

The lineup depth could even be improved with more production from the bottom half.

It would be unfair for LSU to magically solve their pitching woes in one year. Pitching is something that takes time to develop, but the Tigers should be improved.

There will be a natural progression of guys already on the staff, and plenty of talent will be coming in. LSU could also be active in the transfer portal.

There’s good reason to have confidence in Johnson’s ability to figure it out. He’s proven himself to be a coach that does just that.

It’s been a while since LSU has been to Omaha, and the Tigers will have to wait at least one more year. But going forward, they have positioned themselves to be a power in the sport.

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Southern Miss sends the Tigers packing in Game 7 of the Hattiesburg Regional

The Tigers’ season came to an end in the regional final on Monday evening.

Two of the best words in all of sports: Game 7.

It was do-or-die for LSU and Southern Miss as they squared off for the third time this weekend at the Hattiesburg Regional. Despite winning their first two games of the postseason, the Tigers couldn’t close things out and saw their season end in an 8-7 shootout.

[autotag]Ma’Khail Hillard[/autotag] got the start on the mound in the big game. Southen Miss got on the board early as the first batter of the game hit a solo shot to make it 1-0 Golden Eagles. LSU answered back with a big first inning of their own as the Tigers plated three runs thanks to a two-RBI single from [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] and a bunt single for an RBI by [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag] to make it 3-1 Tigers after one.

In the bottom of the third inning, [autotag]Cade Doughty[/autotag] made his presence felt as he hit a solo shot of his own to make it 4-1 LSU.

In the top of the fourth inning, [autotag]Paul Gervase[/autotag], the Tigers’ closer, came in to try and eat up some innings and retain the LSU lead. Southern Miss proceeded to score two runs and cut the lead to 4-3.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, LSU loaded the bases with two outs but they were unable to score any runs as [autotag]Drew Bianco[/autotag] struck out to end the inning. In the top of the seventh, Southern Miss loaded the bases on [autotag]Devin Fontenot[/autotag] and scored on a sacrifice fly to center field to tie the game at 4-4.

That brought [autotag]Bryce Collins[/autotag] out of the bullpen for LSU and the first hitter he faced ripped a single to left field to score the go-ahead run as the Golden Eagles took a 5-4 lead. After a four-pitch walk to load the bases, [autotag]Trent Vietmeier[/autotag] was brought out of the bullpen to try and get LSU out of the jam only down by one run.

The first batter Vietmeier faced hit a two-RBI single to right field to make it 7-4 Golden Eagles before the Tigers finally got out of the inning. In the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs, Berry walked, Doughty doubled, and [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] hit an RBI single to cut the lead to 7-5. Thompson then grounded one up the middle to make it a one-run game.

Still two outs, runners on first and second for [autotag]Tyler McManus[/autotag]. McManus struck out, but the Tigers were able to score two runs and cut it to a one-run game as we headed to the eighth inning.

In the top of the eighth inning, [autotag]Eric Reyzelman[/autotag] entered the game looking to help the Tigers keep the momentum going from the bottom of the seventh. He did his job as he retired the Golden Eagles 1-2-3 and kept the momentum rolling for the Tigers.

Dugas, Bianco, and Pearson were due up for LSU. On a 3-1 count, Gavin Dugas hit a solo home run to tie the game at seven. With two outs, Crews drew a walk to put him on first base as Berry stepped into the box.

That elicited a pitching change from Southern Miss. Berry grounded out, and we went to the ninth inning tied 7-7. In the top of the ninth, Southern Miss scored a run on a sacrifice fly to take an 8-7 lead as we headed to the bottom of the ninth.

This was it, do-or-die. How would the Tigers respond?

Doughty, Morgan, and Thompson were due up for LSU. Doughty grounded out to third for out No. 1. Morgan grounded out to second, and Thompson struck out as the Tigers fell 8-7. With that, the season is over for LSU. Southern Miss will advance to the super regional as a host and will play Ole Miss.

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LSU falls to Southern Miss in regional final rematch, Game 7 set for Monday afternoon

The Tigers couldn’t pull off a third straight comeback and will play with their season on the line Monday.

The LSU Tigers entered Sunday night’s game just one win away from advancing to the super regionals.

Just like on Saturday night, they trailed heading into the ninth inning against Southern Miss. But this time, there was no late-inning magic to win the game as the Golden Eagles won 8-4 and sent the regional to a winner-take-all Game 7 tomorrow at 3 p.m. CT.

The Tigers started the game off strong with a two-run [autotag]Cade Doughty[/autotag] dinger in the top of the first inning before [autotag]Samuel Dutton[/autotag] took the mound. In the bottom of the second, Southern Miss tied the game 2-2 with a couple of runs before chasing Dutton from the mound after only 2.1 innings.

In the top of the third inning, [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] scored on a Doughty single to give the Tigers the lead once again and Pearson scored on a passed ball to make it 4-2 LSU.

In the bottom of the third, the Golden Eagles scored two runs and tied the game once again. The 4-4 score would hold until the bottom of the sixth inning when [autotag]Eric Reyzelman[/autotag] came in to pitch after [autotag]Riley Cooper[/autotag] walked the first batter.

Southern Miss proceeded to score three runs and make it a 7-4 game. In the bottom of the eighth, [autotag]Blake Money[/autotag] came in out of the bullpen, and he was greeted with a Golden Eagles home run to make it 8-4 as we headed to the top of the ninth.

[autotag]Jack Merrifield[/autotag], Crews, and [autotag]Jacob Berry[/autotag] were due up for the Tigers. Merrifield struck out looking, Crews struck out looking, Berry singled, Pearson was hit by a pitch and Doughty grounded out as the Tigers lost 8-4.

Game 7 will be tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. CT. The winner goes to the super regional to take on the winner of Miami and Ole Miss, and the loser goes home.

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How to watch LSU baseball’s rematch vs. Southern Miss in the regional finals

The Tigers advance to the super regional round with a win.

The Tigers have captured lightning in a bottle in Hattiesburg this weekend in the regional round of the NCAA Tournament.

In the opener against Kennesaw State, it overcame an 11-4 deficit in the eighth to win 14-11, and facing host and No. 11 national seed Southern Mississippi in the winner’s bracket on Saturday night, it found itself in a hole once again.

This time, the Tigers trailed 6-2 in the bottom of the ninth, but a four-run rally sent it to extras, where they walked it off in the bottom of the 10th. LSU is just the second team since 1999 to win its first two tournament games while trailing in the seventh inning.

Now in the regional final, it will face the Golden Eagles — who survived an extra-innings game in the elimination contest against Kennesaw State — in a rematch on Sunday night with a spot in the super regionals on the line. The Tigers would advance with a win, while a loss would force a decisive game on Monday afternoon.

Here’s everything you need to know to follow this one, which begins at 6 p.m. CT and will be streamed on ESPN+.

Another late-inning rally lifts Tigers past Southern Miss, into regional finals

The Tigers came back to beat Kennesaw State late on Friday night, and they pulled the same magic on Saturday against top-seeded Southern Miss.

After the dramatic win against Kennesaw State on Friday night, LSU moved on in the winner’s bracket to face the host and No. 11 national seed in the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles.

Just like the prior night, LSU pulled off some late-inning magic as it rallied from being down 6-2 in the ninth inning to win the game 7-6 in extra innings.

[autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag] got the start on the mound, and he pitched six innings, allowing four runs on six hits and four strikeouts. The Tigers scored the first run in the bottom of the first inning as [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] hit an RBI single to score [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] and make it 1-0.

In the top of the second, Southern Miss struck back with a two-run homer to take a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the inning, [autotag]Tyler McManus[/autotag] hit a solo shot to tie it at two runs each.

Southern Miss tacked on four more runs before the Tigers got to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning trailing 6-2. [autotag]Josh Stevenson[/autotag] hit a fly ball for out No. 1, but Crews then launched a Crews Missile to cut the lead to 6-3.

[autotag]Jacob Berry[/autotag] flew out for out No. 2, but [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] kept the game alive with a single to bring up [autotag]Cade Doughty[/autotag], who hit a two-run blast to cut the lead to 6-5.

Still with two outs, Morgan stepped up and was hit by a pitch. So, the tying run was on first base as [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag] stepped into the box. [autotag]Drew Bianco[/autotag] came in to pinch run for Morgan as Southern Miss made a call to the bullpen for a new pitcher.

Bianco stole second, and Thompson hit an RBI single to tie the game at six. The Tigers clawed their way back after being down 6-2 at the start of the inning to tie it up, and we headed to extra innings in Hattiesburg.

[autotag]Paul Gervase[/autotag] came in to pitch the top of the 10th inning as the Tigers looked to try to get three quick outs and get back to swinging the bats. Gervase retired the Golden Eagles 1-2-3, and we went to the bottom of the 10th with a chance for LSU to walk it off. McManus, Stevenson, and Crews were the three Tigers due up.

T-Mac started it off with a single to right field and just like that, the winning run was at first base for Stevenson. [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] brought in [autotag]Collier Cranford[/autotag] to run for McManus as he pushed all of his chips in on trying to win in that frame.

Stevenson was hit by a pitch as he tried to bunt, and now there were two runners on base for Crews, who took a four-pitch walk to load the bases with no one out. The winning run was now only 90 feet away for Berry.

He reached on a fielder’s choice, but Cranford was out at home. Now with one out, bases were still loaded for Pearson. He hit into a fielder’s choice, but the Golden Eagles were unable to make the play at home as the Tigers earned an improbable walk-off.

With the win, LSU moves on to the regional final on Sunday. That game will be on Sunday at 6 p.m. CT, and it will play the winner of the elimination game between Southern Miss and Kennesaw State, who survived elimination against Army on Saturday. That game will be played earlier in the day.

If the Tigers win Sunday night, they will be heading to the super regional round. With a loss, they would play a winner-take-all rematch on Monday.

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Best photos from LSU’s shocking comeback win against Kennesaw State in NCAA Tournament opener

The Tigers’ 10-run rally in the eighth fueled the improbable come-from-behind win.

For most of Friday night’s NCAA Tournament debut for the No. 2-seeded LSU Tigers, it looked like coach Jay Johnson’s team was heading for the loser’s bracket and an elimination game on Saturday.

Facing the three-seeded Kennesaw State Owls in the Hattiesburg Regional, LSU trailed 11-4 entering the eighth inning after rough outings from starting pitcher [autotag]Ma’Khail Hilliard[/autotag] and reliever [autotag]Riley Cooper[/autotag] spotted KSU a big lead. But an unreal 10-run inning flipped the script as the Tigers executed one of the most impressive comebacks of the season, winning 14-11.

Now, they avoid potential elimination and instead advance to the winner’s bracket, where they will face regional host Southern Miss at 6 p.m. CT. The Golden Eagles won their first-round matchup by a 2-0 margin against Army on Friday.

In the meantime, here were the best shots as the Tigers stunned the Owls and avoided a first-round upset.

Tigers stun Kennesaw State with 10-run rally in eighth inning to open NCAA Tournament

LSU pulled off one of the wildest comebacks you’ll see all season to begin the Hattiesburg Regional.

Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug.

For the first seven innings of Friday night’s NCAA Tournament opener, LSU was definitely the bug as it was manhandled by the Kennesaw State Owls 11-4 — that is until an incredible comeback happened.

The Tigers scored 10 runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to come back and win 14-11 in Game 1 of the Hattiesburg Regional.

[autotag]Ma’Khail Hilliard[/autotag] got the start on the mound, and he had his shortest start of the year, going only 2.2 innings allowing five runs on five hits, two walks and two strikeouts. The Owls drew first blood as they scored on an RBI single in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the inning, [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag] tied the game with an RBI double that scored [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag]. In the bottom of the second, [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] hit an RBI single to give the Tigers their only lead of the ball game as they led 2-1 heading into the third inning.

In the top of the third, the Owls would rally for four runs of their own and take a 5-2 lead over LSU. In the bottom of the third, [autotag]Brayden Jobert[/autotag] got two of those runs back with a two-run homer to right field to cut the lead to 5-4.

Kennesaw State added two runs in the fourth and four runs in the fifth to build a lead of 11-4 and that score held until the bottom of the eighth inning. In the bottom of the eighth, [autotag]Jacob Berry[/autotag] hit an RBI single up the middle to score [autotag]Josh Stevenson[/autotag] and give the Tigers some hope as they had runners on the corners with zero outs.

Pearson followed that with an RBI single of his own to make it 11-6 Owls. There were still no outs and runners on first and second as Thompson stepped into the box and he proceeded to hit an RBI double to score Berry and put two runners in scoring position with no one out. The Owls opted to bring in a new pitcher before facing [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag].

It was a golden opportunity for the Tigers to possibly make a miraculous comeback: two runners in scoring position, no outs, Morgan at the plate, and an 11-7 ball game. What would the talented sophomore do?

Morgan hit a two-RBI single to center field and brought both Pearson and Thompson home, and just like that, it was a two-run game.

At this point, it was a battle at the bat rack as everyone wanted a turn. [autotag]Cade Doughty[/autotag] stepped in and hit a single before [autotag]Tyler McManus[/autotag] stepped up to the plate. McManus drew a walk and loaded the bases with no one out.

Jobert grounded into a fielder’s choice, but a run scored in the process to make it 11-10 Owls. Stevenson stepped into the box with runners on the corners and one out. The tying run was only 90 feet away at third base.

Stevenson walked, and the bases were loaded once again. This time, Crews was the man stepping into the batter’s box with a chance to tie the game or take the lead. Crews hit a two-RBI double to left-center field, and the Tigers have the lead.

Pearson stepped in and hit a two-RBI single of his own to extend LSU’s lead to 14-11. Thompson grounded into a double play to end the inning, but not before the Tigers plated 10 runs and took a three-run lead heading into the ninth.

[autotag]Paul Gervase[/autotag] came in to close the game out in the top of the ninth inning. He got the first batter to line out and the second one to strike out before the Owls got a runner on base with a single. Gervase got the next batter to fly out, and the Tigers secured the win. LSU moves on in the winner’s bracket to face regional host Southern Miss on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT.

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How to watch, preview for LSU baseball’s NCAA Tournament opener against Kennesaw State

The Tigers begin their postseason against the No. 3-seeded Owls at the Hattiesburg Regional on Friday night.

The Tigers are hitting the road for the regional round of the 2022 NCAA Baseball Tournament, but they won’t have to go very far.

LSU will take the approximately three-hour trek east to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, for a regional hosted by Southern Miss, the No. 11 national seed. First up for the No. 2-seeded Tigers is a matchup against the region’s No. 3 seed, the Kennesaw State Owls.

The Owls are just 35-26 on the season but made the tournament by virtue of a phenomenal run in the Atlantic Sun Tournament as the third-seeded team. After dropping the first two games, KSU won out and captured the league’s autobid with an upset against Liberty in the championship.

LSU, meanwhile, is coming off a disappointing performance in the SEC Tournament. As the No. 4 seed, it won its first game against Kentucky but dropped the next two matchups, ultimately being eliminated in a rematch against the Wildcats.

The Tigers will hopefully have two of its key players back in infielders [autotag]Jacob Berry[/autotag] and [autotag]Cade Doughty[/autotag], who were held out of SEC Tournament competition last week as a precaution.

We could see LSU’s Day 1 starter on the mound in [autotag]Ma’Khail Hilliard[/autotag], but coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] may choose to save his arm for a potential matchup against the top-seeded Golden Eagles on Saturday. If that’s the case, we would likely see [autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag] or [autotag]Samuel Dutton[/autotag] take the bump.

The Tigers will look to emerge out of the regional as an underdog, and that run will begin with Friday night’s opener at 6 p.m. CT.

Here’s how you can catch the action in this one.