LSU outhomers Vols to take game one

By Hunt Palmer

THE STORY

Lindsey Nelson Stadium demands the longball.

LSU found it at the right time after Tennessee’s two homers had given the Volunteers the lead. Derek Curiel’s opposite field grand slam with two outs in the LSU eighth made a 4-1 Tennessee game 5-4 Tigers. Seth Dardar slammed a solo shot over the wall in right for some insurance, and Chris Stanfield lined one over the wall in left for another in the Tiger ninth. LSU took the series opener 7-5 in in Knoxville.

The homers steal the show, and they lead my story, but the pitching was strong, too.

Deven Sheerin snapped off a nasty 2-2 slider to strike out leadoff man Garrett Wright with the bases full and two out in the eighth. He was electric in the ninth.

Casan Evans worked into the sixth and only paid for one mistake. The Tiger starter hung an offspeed pitch that Reese Chapman bashed out of the ballpark for a two-run homer to give the Vols the lead in the fourth. The solo shot Evans allowed in the third was on a decent high fastball that Levi Clark got the barrel to at the top of the zone.

Holding a potent offense to five in that ballpark should win on Friday

It didn’t look like it would when Volunteer starter Landon Mack settled in. The Rutgers transfer who LSU coveted in the transfer portal pitched his best game in orange. He worked seven stellar innings with 10 strikeouts and retired the last 13 he faced. One of those outs was a screamer off Steven Milam’s bat that was ticketed for the Tennessee bullpen before Chapman snared it as he crashed into the short wall in right to rob a would-be be homer.

New skipper Josh Elander went to the bullpen after 94 Mack pitches, and he paid for it.

Tennessee’s bullpen imploded with three eighth inning walks before the back-to-back homers put LSU in control.

That’s three straight come-from-behind wins for this LSU team. It’s just one in Knoxville, but getting one more will feel like a big win for an LSU team trying to find its rhythm.

THE SCORECARD

Landon Mack: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K, 94 pitchers, 62 strikes.

Casan Evans: 52. IP, 6 H, 3 R , 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 90 pitches, 62 strikes

LSU failed all three times to get a runner home from third with less than two outs.

Tennessee outhit LSU 8-to-6.

Both teams played error-free baseball.

Tennessee’s bullpen allowed six runs on six hits in two innings.

Tennessee was 0-for-8 with runners on base.

WHAT’S NEXT

LSU and Tennessee return to action Saturday afternoon at 5:00 p.m. central time. Two uber-talented sophomores will take the mound. Tennessee turns to Tegan Kuhns who made five Friday starts to begin the season. LSU will counter with William Schmidt.