Vanderbilt walks LSU off in game one

By Hunt Palmer

THE STORY

I’m not sure Tim Corbin and Jay Johnson will sleep well tonight. Corbin will sleep better.

Vanderbilt’s offense earned a win in the ninth after both pitching staffs did everything they could to lose it for the better part of nine innings.

Gavin Guidry was fantastic in the eighth. He got Vanderbilt up and down in order. In the ninth, he gave up three hits. The last one soared over the right field wall for a walk-off two-run homer off the bat of Logan Johnston to give Vanderbilt a 13-12 win.

Johnson’s team couldn’t find the zone early. Corbin’s couldn’t late…and couldn’t keep the ball from the backstop.

LSU’s climb from a 10-4 deficit began with Seth Dardar’s pinch-hit, three-run double in the fifth that took it from 10-4 to 10-7. Cade Arrambide was ruled out initially but ruled safe on replay.

Zac Cowan’s herculean effort, by that I mean throwing the ball over the plate, kept LSU in it through the seventh. That gave the Tiger offense time.

LSU plated five in the eighth, and it started with a leadoff walk by Chris Stanfield. Jake Brown’s single and Derek Curiel’s double drew LSU closer. Three pitches to the backstop scored runs to make it 12-10 LSU.

That was charity from Vanderbilt, but it didn’t stand up.

LSU pitching sunk the team with walks early, and the hill appeared too steep to climb. The Tiger lineup did plenty against a legitimate SEC ace. LSU didn’t kick the ball around. Brown delivered some huge early swings. There was some good.

The free bases destroyed the positives.

Casan Evans walked three in the first. Two scored. He walked another in the second. It moved a leadoff single into scoring position that came in to score. He hit another in the third and walked in a run behind that. Four Commodores walked in the fourth, and they all scored.

The walks were bad. The fact that few of them were competitive was worse. Scoring seven through five innings on a Friday should put LSU in control of the game. Instead, it barely put LSU in shouting distance.

Evans has good stuff, but questions about his current ability to be LSU’s ace are fair. Last week was good enough to give hope. Friday was nowhere close. He threw 46 strikes and 37 balls and allowed his first home run as a Tiger, a blast by Braden Holcomb that ended his night with no one out in the fourth.

Brown’s three run homer gave LSU a 4-1 lead in the second.

Tanner Reaves dug in with the bases load in a three-run game in the seventh. He tapped a ground ball back to the pitcher on a check swing. But LSU’s offense stormed back.

I’m not sure Guidry’s effort was wholly deflating. He was one pitch from slamming the door, and his ninth inning strikeout of Holcomb with the tying run on third was impressive.

The loss hurts badly on this Friday, but it will be over Saturday when the first pitch is thrown. Evans has to be better than he was. And LSU has to get off the mat.

Twenty-nine more to go.

THE SCORECARD

Casan Evans: 3 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, HBP, 5 K, 83 pitches, 46 strikes

Connor Fennell: 5 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, 102 pitches, 67 strikes

Zac Cowan: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 41 pitches, 30 strikes

Steven Milam: 3-for-6, 3 R

Jake Brown: 3-for-5, HR, 2 B, 3 RBI, 2 R

Derek Curiel: 2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R

Seth Dardar: 1-for-3, 2B, 3 RBI

Hitting: LSU: 13-for37 (.351); Vandy: 10-for-35 (.268)

RISP: LSU: 5-for-14 (.357); Vandy: 4-for-15 (.267)

LSU walked 11 and hit 1. Vanderbilt walked 10 and hit 2.

WHAT’S NEXT

Game two is late on Saturday. The Tigers and Commodores will start at 7:00.