Two LSU Baseball players earn their degrees

Tyler McManus and Drew Bianco received degrees last week.

In the crazy world of college sports, we often forget at times that these ladies and gentlemen are student-athletes. Their ultimate goal is to graduate and obtain a degree in their respective field of study.

Two former Tigers did just that as LSU held its summer graduation ceremonies. Former catcher [autotag]Tyler McManus[/autotag] graduated with a Master’s degree in Kinesiology. McManus was a graduate transfer from Delgado Community College and Samford University.

The native of Slidell, Louisiana, started 40 games for the Tigers in 2022, batting .283 with six doubles, four triples, 10 homers, 32 RBI, and 33 runs, and he was named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.

The other senior to earn his degree was former utility-man [autotag]Drew Bianco[/autotag], who earned a Bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies. Bianco is a native of Oxford, Mississippi, and the son of Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco.

After the 2022 season, Bianco entered his name into the transfer portal and has since committed to Houston.

[mm-video type=video id=01g95xyvaaf7sc2r8wz2 playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g95xyvaaf7sc2r8wz2/01g95xyvaaf7sc2r8wz2-ef51b5048ea298e9e80d8f945de30f85.jpg]

[listicle id=55069]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

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.

[mm-video type=video id=01g26ap7n0jhrayh42wb playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g26ap7n0jhrayh42wb/01g26ap7n0jhrayh42wb-52bd6fabe56060dbf9fbc2912bc171c5.jpg]

[vertical-gallery id=53131]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

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.

[mm-video type=video id=01g2zpn5zh3ejjmst9bd playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g2zpn5zh3ejjmst9bd/01g2zpn5zh3ejjmst9bd-06de2c5d7e18e4b84fa11f5d42ab2908.jpg]

[vertical-gallery id=53131]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

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.

[mm-video type=video id=01g26ap7n0jhrayh42wb playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g26ap7n0jhrayh42wb/01g26ap7n0jhrayh42wb-52bd6fabe56060dbf9fbc2912bc171c5.jpg]

[listicle id=53072]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Tigers make a Hasty exit in 2022 SEC Tournament with elimination game loss to Kentucky

LSU’s run in Hoover came to an end on Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers had a quick turnaround after Friday night’s loss to Tennessee.

[autotag]Jacob Hasty[/autotag] got the start against the Kentucky Wildcats in a win-or-go-home scenario in the SEC Tournament, and they sent the Tigers packing in a 7-2 loss.

Kentucky also sent Hasty packing with a final line of 0.1 innings pitched, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks. [autotag]Eric Reyzelman[/autotag] came in to get the Tigers out of the inning and he did just that. In the bottom of the second, Kentucky hit a solo homer off Reyzelman to increase their lead to 3-0.

The Wildcats scored two runs each in the fourth and fifth inning to make it 7-0 Kentucky headed to the top of the seventh inning, and the LSU offense didn’t have a hit yet. The Tigers finally got on the board in the seventh as Tre Morgan reached on an error and then [autotag]Tyler McManus[/autotag] brought him home on an RBI triple.

[autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag] then hit a sacrifice fly to center to score McManus and cut the lead to 7-2 Wildcats. LSU was unable to score any more runs in the game as it was knocked out of the tournament.

Now, we will wait until the selection show Monday morning at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2 to see whether LSU will host a regional in Baton Rouge or have to travel for their regional.

[mm-video type=video id=01g2zpn5zh3ejjmst9bd playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g2zpn5zh3ejjmst9bd/01g2zpn5zh3ejjmst9bd-06de2c5d7e18e4b84fa11f5d42ab2908.jpg]

[listicle id=52602]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Tigers take down Kentucky in late-night SEC Tournament opener after numerous delays

The Tigers are moving on to the winner’s bracket after comfortably handling Kentucky despite a shaky start

After a long hiatus due to a first-round bye and a plethora of rain, the LSU Tigers finally got to take the field at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium and play in their first game in the SEC Tournament on Thursday night.

LSU got to skip the single-elimination round as it entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed. That meant that the Tigers would play the winner of No. 5 Auburn and No. 12 Kentucky.

Coming into the week, no No. 12 seed had ever won a game in the SEC tournament, but the Wildcats beat AU to set up a second-round matchup against LSU to begin double-elimination play. Their luck ran out on Thursday night, as LSU advanced into the winner’s bracket with an 11-6 victory.

It will face top-seeded Tennessee on Friday night in the third round in what will be the first matchup against the Volunteers this season.

[autotag]Ma’Khail Hilliard[/autotag] got the start on the mound for the Tigers, and Kentucky jumped on him in the top of the second inning with a two-run homer to take an early lead. But in the bottom of the third, LSU got those runs back, plus one.

With bases loaded, [autotag]Tre’ Morgan[/autotag] grounded out to the pitcher, but [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] was able to score. That was followed by the red hot [autotag]Tyler McManus[/autotag] hitting a two-RBI double to put LSU on top 3-2.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Tigers put up three more runs to extend their lead to 6-2. Crews singled to center field to bring home [autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag], [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] singled to bring home [autotag]Drew Bianco[/autotag], and Crews scored on an insane play at the plate where he dodged the catcher’s tag and eventually led to Kentucky’s head coach getting thrown out when the run was confirmed after video review.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the bases were loaded for Thompson, and he came through with a single to clear the bases and make it 8-2 Tigers. McManus then got his third hit of the night as he singled to bring Pearson home and make it 9-2 LSU.

Hilliard’s day was finished as the Tigers entered the top of the seventh inning with [autotag]Devin Fontenot[/autotag] on the mound. For Fontenot, it was his 111th career appearance, which broke the record for most career appearances. Hilliard’s final line was six innings pitched allowing two runs on four hits, two walks and six strikeouts.

Kentucky scored a run on Fontenot to cut the lead to 9-3 as we went to the bottom of the seventh. Pearson became the first LSU player with five hits in an SEC Tournament game as he launched a two-run moonshot to right field to make it 11-3.

And oh yeah, he’s just a freshman.

In the top of the eighth inning, Kentucky hit a three-run homer to cut the lead to 11-6 and bring [autotag]Grant Taylor[/autotag] out of the bullpen. After retiring the first batter he faced for out number three, Taylor stayed on the mound for the ninth.

After walking the first batter of the ninth, Taylor was replaced by [autotag]Riley Cooper[/autotag], who was greeted with a single. Cooper retired the rest of the Wildcats, and the Tigers won 11-6.

With the victory, LSU will play in the winner’s bracket against No. 1 Tennessee on Friday night in the late game. That start time is TBD, but at least the forecast shows no sign of rain — for now.

[mm-video type=video id=01g26ap7n0jhrayh42wb playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g26ap7n0jhrayh42wb/01g26ap7n0jhrayh42wb-52bd6fabe56060dbf9fbc2912bc171c5.jpg]

[listicle id=52602]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

LSU secures No. 4 seed at SEC Tournament with a monster day in Nashville

An incredible finish saw LSU complete the sweep of Vanderbilt with a 21-10 win, earning a bye in Hoover next week.

LSU came into Saturday’s Game 3 looking to sweep the Vanderbilt Commodores and possibly earn the No. 4 seed for the SEC tournament.

For that to happen, LSU would have to win, and Auburn would have to lose.

First thing’s first: Control what you can control. The Tigers did just that as they won 21-10 over the Commodores. Vandy tried to make things spiral out of control early as it went up 6-0 headed into the top of the third inning.

In that frame, the Tigers finally got on the board as [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag]hit an RBI double to score [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag], and then [autotag]Brayden Jobert[/autotag] hit a two-RBI double to cut the lead to 6-3.

In the top of the sixth inning, [autotag]Tyler McManus[/autotag] hit a solo homer to cut the lead to 6-4. Vandy answered in the bottom of the inning with a two-run homer to extend its lead to 8-4.

In the top of the seventh inning, Jobert hit a three-run Jo-bomb to cut it to a one-run game. After being down 6-0, the Tigers had finally climbed their way back into the game.

In the bottom of the inning, Vandy loaded the bases and scored a run on a walk to get some breathing room headed to the eighth. In the top of the eighth, Pearson hit an RBI single to score [autotag]Collier Cranford[/autotag] and cut the lead to 9-8.

The Tigers then loaded the bases with only one out, and [autotag]Cade Doughty[/autotag] came through with an RBI single to tie the game. [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag] then stepped into the box and hit an RBI single as the Tigers took their first lead of the game at 10-9.

Jobert was up next, and it was his three-run homer that put the Tigers back within one run in the seventh inning. This time, the bases were loaded. Jobert hit a deep fly ball to center, and you can pucker up and kiss that baby goodbye.

After the grand slam, Jobert had a total of nine RBI. He is the first LSU player with nine RBI since March 5, 1999 (Eric Hendrickson vs Ohio). He scored the same amount of runs as Vandy by himself. LSU wasn’t done in the top of the eighth yet as Cranford hit an RBI double off of the green monster in left field to make it 15-9 Tigers.

[autotag]Josh Stevenson[/autotag] then laid down a sacrifice bunt that scored two runs to make it 17-9, and Morgan followed that with an RBI double. All of that totaled up to an 11-run inning for the Tigers and an 18-9 lead headed to the bottom of the eighth inning. In the top of the ninth, Jobert stepped into the box once again and this time he hit a triple.

Jobert finished the day a single short of the cycle. [autotag]Drew Bianco[/autotag] came into run for Jobert on third and he scored on a McManus sacrifice flyball to make it 19-9. Cranford doubled off the wall in left field which brought up [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag], who didn’t have a hit yet but changed that with a two-run Crews missile to left to make it 21-9 Tigers.

Vandy scored in the bottom of the ninth inning to earn their 10th run of the game. Doughty was injured on the play and walked off the field under his own power. We’ll keep an eye on that as we enter the SEC tournament.

Collins struck out the final batter and LSU won 21-10 to sweep the Commodores.

Control what you can control? Check.  After that, it all came down to the Auburn Tigers. If Auburn lost to Kentucky, LSU earned the No. 4 seed and wouldn’t have to play until Wednesday. If the Tigers from the plains win, LSU would be the No. 5 seed and play on Tuesday in a single-elimination game.

Heading into the ninth inning, the Wildcats led the game 6-2 over Auburn. Sonny DiChiara hit a solo shot to lead off the inning and cut it to 6-3. Kentucky sat down the next three hitters and won the game 6-3. That means LSU secured a top-four seed and goes straight into Day 2 of the SEC Tournament.

What a day for LSU baseball.

[mm-video type=video id=01g26ap7n0jhrayh42wb playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g26ap7n0jhrayh42wb/01g26ap7n0jhrayh42wb-52bd6fabe56060dbf9fbc2912bc171c5.jpg]

[listicle id=52297]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Tigers ‘Crews’ to a win over Vandy in final SEC series

LSU captured its final SEC series and potentially a top-five seed at the conference tournament in Hoover.

LSU might not wear anything other than their gold uniform for the rest of the season. After a huge win on Thursday night, the Tigers went back to the gold for Friday night’s contest, and the Tigers had another great game at the ballpark with a 6-1 win over Vanderbilt to take the series.

[autotag]Ty Floyd[/autotag] got the start on the mound and in his first start in months, he looked great. Floyd finished with 5.1 innings pitched allowing one run on four hits and seven strikeouts.

[autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] started it off strong in the top of the first inning when he swung at the first pitch and blasted it over the left-field wall to make it 1-0 Tigers.

LSU then had a monster second inning to give them some breathing room. [autotag]Cade Doughty[/autotag] scored on a passed ball for the first run of the second inning, [autotag]Tyler McManus[/autotag] grounded out but [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag] scored to make it 3-0, and then Crews came up and hit another Crews missile, this time a two-run shot over the green monster in left field to make it 5-0 Tigers.

The Commodores got on the board in the bottom of the second inning with a solo homer to cut the lead to 5-1. In the top of the fourth inning, [autotag]Josh Pearson[/autotag] beat the throw on what would’ve been an inning-ending double play and allowed McManus to score and make it 6-1.

In the top of the seventh inning, the Tiger bats were back at it again as Doughty hit an RBI double to score [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag], and Thompson brought Doughty home on an RBI single to make it 8-1 LSU.

[autotag]Jacob Hasty[/autotag] came in to relieve Floyd in the fifth inning and in the bottom of the ninth inning, he gave up a two-run homer down the right-field line to cut the lead to 8-3 with no outs.

[autotag]Paul Gervase[/autotag] then came in to try and close the game. He retired the batters he faced, and the Tigers won 8-3. LSU clinched the series win over the Commodores and possibly locked up the No. 5 seed for the SEC Tournament next week. Game 3 will be on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT.

[mm-video type=video id=01g26ap7n0jhrayh42wb playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g26ap7n0jhrayh42wb/01g26ap7n0jhrayh42wb-52bd6fabe56060dbf9fbc2912bc171c5.jpg]

[listicle id=52423]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Tigers take down Commodores in Jacob Berry’s return

LSU got its road series in Nashville started on a high note.

Only three games remained in the regular season heading into this weekend, and the battle for higher seeding in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments is as hot as it could possibly get as the LSU Tigers took a trip to Nashville, Tennessee, to play the Commodores of Vanderbilt.

With a dominant 13-2 win on Thursday night, LSU took Game 1 and will look to clinch the final series of the season on Friday.

[autotag]Ma’Khail Hilliard[/autotag] got the start on the mound for the Tigers, who donned their gold uniforms for Game 1, and pitched a gem as he went 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on eight hits and four strikeouts. LSU loaded the bases in the top of the first inning but the Tigers were unable to score any runs.

In the top of the second inning, [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag] stepped into the batter’s box and started a scoring spree with a solo homer over the green monster in left field. [autotag]Brayden Jobert[/autotag] followed that with a single, and [autotag]Tyler McManus[/autotag] walked to bring [autotag]Collier Cranford[/autotag] to the plate with two runners on and no outs.

Cranford came through with an RBI single to score Jobert, and just like that, it was 2-0 LSU. In stepped [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] with runners on the corners and no outs, and he hit a three-run Crews Missile to right field to make it 5-0 Tigers.

In the words of Lionel Richie, “Hello, is it me you’re looking for?”

Why yes it is, [autotag]Jacob Berry[/autotag]. Long time, no see, old friend.

The No. 1 collegiate prospect returned to the lineup from injury after missing the last few weeks. He followed the Crews missile with his second hit of the evening before he scored on a Thompson double to make it 6-0 LSU.

In the top of the fourth inning, the LSU offense unloaded again as Crews led off the inning with a double and then advanced to third on a throwing error. He then scored on a Berry groundout to make it 7-0 Tigers. Up until this point in the game, every LSU hitter had been on base — except for one: Cade Doughty.

Doughty was not going to miss out on that opportunity as he hit a two-run blast to left-center field to make it 9-0.

Vanderbilt was able to plate a pair of runs over the next two innings to trim the lead to 9-2 LSU. In the top of the sixth, Crews scored on an RBI single by Morgan to make it 10-2 Tigers. In the top of the seventh inning, Jobert joined in on the home run party as he hit a solo shot to dead center to make it 11-2.

The Tigers weren’t done scoring yet though, as, in the top of the ninth inning, Doughty hit his second homer of the ballgame to extend the lead to 12-2. Crews followed that with an RBI single to short to make the final 13-2 LSU.

With the win, LSU moves to 35-18 overall and 15-13 in conference play. Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Friday night at 6 p.m. CT. as the Tigers look to take the series and try and secure the No. 5 seed for the SEC Tournament.

[mm-video type=video id=01g3ezvy303704amntm0 playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g3ezvy303704amntm0/01g3ezvy303704amntm0-0bb91182ae4b241ca6fa05f899fbb4ae.jpg]

[listicle id=52423]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

LSU exorcises Demons in final regular season home game

LSU got a big win in its final tune-up of the season before it travels to play Vanderbilt this weekend.

LSU was bound and determined to make sure the home fans went home happy in what could be the last baseball game at Alex Box Stadium this year. The Tigers did that with a 19-7 win over the Demons of Northwestern State.

In the top of the first inning, the Demons struck first when they scored a run off an LSU error to take a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the first, LSU rode into battle on a white horse and flipped the script as they scored three runs on two errors by Northwestern State to make it 3-1 Tigers headed to the second inning.

The Tigers added five more runs in the bottom of the second inning as [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] and [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] both hit an RBI single, [autotag]Tyler McManus[/autotag] hit a two-RBI single, and [autotag]Brayden Jobert[/autotag] had a sacrifice fly for an RBI to make it 8-1.

You would think that, at that point, the rout was on. You would be wrong. In the top of the third inning, Northwestern State came roaring back with a two-run homer followed by a three-run homer to cut the lead to 8-6 headed to the bottom of the inning.

Over the next three innings, the Tigers would scratch across four more runs as Morgan hit an RBI single, Jobert hit a solo homer, Crews walked with bases loaded, and [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag] hit an RBI single to make it 12-6 Tigers headed to the sixth inning.

LSU wasn’t satisfied with just doubling the Demons’ score, they decided to blow the game wide open in the bottom of the sixth inning as LSU scored seven runs.

Morgan walked with bases loaded, Doughty was hit by a pitch with bases loaded, and then [autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] stepped up to the plate and cleared the bases with a grand slam. Jobert then hit a homer for the seventh and final run of the inning.

In the top of the seventh inning, Northwestern State scored the game’s final run on an RBI single to make the final 19-7 LSU. With the win, LSU moves to 34-18 overall.

The Tigers will hit the road to Nashville for the final SEC series of the regular season against the Vanderbilt Commodores. Currently, LSU and Vandy are tied for the No. 5 seed in the SEC Tournament so seeding in Hoover, as well as in the NCAA Tournament, will be on the line.

[mm-video type=video id=01g2zpn5zh3ejjmst9bd playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g2zpn5zh3ejjmst9bd/01g2zpn5zh3ejjmst9bd-06de2c5d7e18e4b84fa11f5d42ab2908.jpg]

[listicle id=52297]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.