Tiger bats slump in Sunday loss to A&M

By Hunt Palmer

THE STORY

Deven Sheerin held the line. His offense never offered any real support.

Texas A&M pitching silenced LSU to finish off a sweep on Sunday, 5-2.

This one didn’t come the way you’d expect. Sheerin dumped ice water on a sizzling Aggie offense that didn’t score after the fourth. He worked a season-high 4.1 innings and punched out nine.

Offensively, LSU produced its most feeble effort of an anemic weekend. Weston Moss, who lost his starting role two weeks ago, and Gavin Lyons, who has allowed SEC teams to hit .333, combined to blank LSU over the first seven innings.

Despite the wind whipping in Caden Sorrell and Chris Hacopian were able to lace line drive homers through the breeze. Sorrell’s was a solo shot in the first, and Hacopian’s plated a pair in the third.

Zac Cowan didn’t have his trademark command. He walked three and left both pitches that were hit out of the ballpark over the middle of the plate.

The only real glimmer of LSU offense came in the eighth when Cade Arrambide greeted closer Clayton Freshcorn with a laser of a leadoff home run on a hanging slider. Derek Curiel walked and moved to third on Omar Serna’s opposite field single. Curiel then scored from third on a passed ball. With Serna at second, Eddie Yamin was hit by a pitch but was ruled to have leaned into it. That ruling was upheld by replay.

The other inning of note was the fourth when Arrambide and Curiel hit rockets to the warning track that were held up by the breeze. Jake Brown singled sharply in that frame, as well. Nothing to show for it.

A&M had scored a run in the top half on an infield chopper to third, a bloop single and a sac fly. None of the contact was hard, but the result was a run.

LSU has been swept in consecutive series for the first time since March and April of 2021 when Tennessee and Vanderbilt both swept Paul Mainieri’s last team. Sitting at 6-6 was a reasonable spot. 6-12 is a whole different story.

Tiger pitching did a pretty good job on Saturday and Sunday. The offense just never showed up.

THE SCORECARD

Weston Moss: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 80 pitches, 47 strikes

Deven Sheerin: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, 61 pitches, 47 strikes

Overall: Texas A&M 6-for-32 (.188); LSU 7-for-33 (.212)

With Runners On: Texas A&M 3-for-14 (.214); LSU 2-for-16 (.125)

With RISP: Texas A&M 1-for-4 (.250); LSU 0-for-7 (.000)

WHAT’S NEXT

UNO visits Alex Box Stadium on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 6:30. The Tigers travel to Starkville next weekend for a three-game set with Mississippi State at Dudy Noble Field.