(Photo Credit: @LSUbaseball on X)
By Hunt Palmer
THE STORY
Anthony Eyanson didn’t feature his best stuff on Saturday. He walked three and only struck out five. His toughness and poise shined through, though.
The junior hurler overcame a 33-pitch second inning to get through seven frames allowing two runs. LSU blasted three home runs in support, and that was enough to secure a 7-3 win to claim the final weekend on SEC play in South Carolina.
The Gamecocks drew first blood in that lengthy second inning. KJ Scobey scorched a hanging breaking ball for an RBI double with two outs.
Jared Jones knotted things with his third home run in two days. He flew the bullpen in left center. Beau Hollins answered in the bottom half with a solo shot of his own to put South Carolina back in front.
The Tigers took a lead they wouldn’t relinquish with a three-spot in the fifth. With the bases loaded, Jones grounded into a 5-4-3 double play that plated a run. Then Daniel Dickinson launched a two-run homer to left to make it 4-2. That Dickinson swing was massive because Jones’s double play ball was a disappointing result with the bases loaded and no one out.
Eyanson took control from there. He faced just one over the minimum in the fifth, sixth and seventh combined.
Jake Brown crushed a long home run in the seventh, and Derek Curiel knocked in a run with his third hit of the day in the eighth. Not to be outdone, Steven Milam collected an RBI single in the ninth to reach base for the third time as well.
Curiel and Milam had been scuffling, so their five combined hits were a welcome sight for Jay Johnson.
Freshmen Mavrick Rizy and Cooper Williams combined to get four outs. Williams did surrender a solo shot in the eighth to Henry Kaczmar, but he was otherwise good.
Chase Shores slammed the door with the final two outs including a 100mph fastball to finish the game. He’s really thrown in well over the last two weeks.
LSU finishes SEC play 19-11 and tied with Vanderbilt for third place.
THE SCORECARD
Anthony Eyanson’s line: 7IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 3BB, 5K, 107 pitches, 6 strikes
Derek Curiel: 3-for-5, RBI
Jake Brown: 3-for-5, HR, 2B, 2R
Steven Milam: 2-for-4, RBI
Chris Stanfield: 1-for-3, BB, 2R
LSU outhit South Carolina 12-6
WHAT’S NEXT
LSU now sets its sights on the SEC Tournament where there may still be work left to do. There is a log jam for top eight seeds, and every win helps. LSU will be the No. 3 seed in Hoover and play Friday night.
