Ricken, young bats shine in game one loss for Tigers

By Hunt Palmer

THE STORY

In a season short on actual victories, the moral variety will have to do.

For now.

Reagan Ricken threw the ball really well, and LSU’s young hitters put up a fight against Aidan King. Florida topped LSU, 11-8, but we’re focusing on some positives here.

Ricken really does look the part. He hasn’t thrown nearly enough strikes this season, but he did on Thursday night. All said, Ricken worked 4.1 innings of two-run baseball with five strikeouts and no walks. He hit a batter that came around to score, but the two RBI hits against the Tiger rookie were a 74 mph flare to left and a chopper over a drawn-in infield.

He snapped off some really nice breaking balls at times and absolutely locked up future first-rounder Brendan Lawson with a front door two seamer. The projection on Ricken is easy because he’s tall, a great athlete and delivers the ball with minimal effort. When he’s in the strike zone, he’s good. That will be a huge focal point for him in the summer, his second ever without a focus on being a football quarterback.

Offensively, Mason Braun lined out to short, singled up the middle and battled to a nine-pitch strikeout off King. He singled to open the LSU ninth. Cade Arrambide singled twice though neither was hit particularly hard. John Pearson smoked a double into the opposite field gap. Omar Serna hit a 97 mph fastball 406 feet out to right center in the sixth and lined a double to left in the ninth.

Those are promising at bats from the young Tigers. Derek Curiel’s double to right plated a run. So did Steven Milam’s towering home run off a King breaking ball. That chased the Gator ace and SEC Pitcher of the Year candidate after only 5.1 innings. He surrendered a season-high eight hits.

The Tigers were behind the eight-ball early. Danny Lachenmayer allowed the first three Gators to reach, and the fourth was Ethan Suroweic who played clean up man with a grand slam to right.

Conner Benge, DJ Primeaux and Mavrick Rizy combined to walk seven Gators late as LSU deployed its suggested pitching plan. The Tigers aren’t going to burn arms they need in the SEC Tournament next week.

LSU posed a pair of threats late. The first was a bases-loaded Chris Stanfield at bat in an 11-6 game in the eighth. He grounded into a fielder’s choice.

Milam’s two-run double scored Braun and Serna with two out in in ninth.

THE SCORECARD

Reagan Ricken: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 56 pitches, 39 strikes

Aidan King: 5.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 94 pitches, 68 strikes

Tiger pitching walked 13 Florida hitters and hit two. They threw three wild pitches.

Florida walked two and hit one.

Milam made his third error.

LSU was 0-for-2 with the bases loaded.

With a runner at third and less than two outs, LSU plated the run 1-of-4 times.

Mason Braun: 2-for-5, 2 R

Omar Serna: 2-for-5, 2B, HR

Milam: 3-for-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI

WHAT’S NEXT

LSU and Florida are back in action Friday night at 6:30. Marcos Paz will oppose Liam Peterson in a matchup of very talented right handers.