LSU Baseball
By Hunt Palmer
THE STORY
LSU’s pitching staff was hammered all season, and the finale was no different.
Florida bashed 18 hits including five homers to sweep LSU for the fifth time this season. The 21 SEC losses set a new program high. Control wasn’t the culprit this time around as LSU worked 26 outs before Deven Sheerin issued the first walk of the game. The Gators just teed off start to finish against a parade of Tiger hurlers, winning 15-11 at Alex Box Stadium.
Hayden Yost went deep three times, and Cade Kurland did twice. Both did so in a three-run eighth that made it 9-4. Yost’s missile into the right field seats in the ninth drove the final nail into LSU’s coffin.
LSU fought. The Tigers posted a four-spot in the eighth to trim the Gator lead to one. With two on, Seth Dardar tapped back to the mound to end the inning. Mason Braun’s ripped opposite field single and Steven Milam’s line drive RBI hit to center were the highlights.
Florida countered with six in the ninth.
Jay Johnson started five seniors in the bottom five slots in the lineup. Dardar collected a pair of hits in his Alex Box finale including a line drive single to right that knotted the score at four in the fifth. He popped the “Tigers” on the jersey he’s dreamt of wearing for a long time. Brayden Simpson had two doubles.
Cade Arrambide was awesome. He launched a pair of homers. The second was a blast off the batter’s eye in centerfield. That’s 19 long balls for the Tiger catcher this season, a breakout campaign that provides a pillar for next season’s roster.
A highlight of the day was Jake Brown’s pinch-hit announcement. He grabbed a bat and was introduced to a standing ovation in his last home game. Because of Brown’s surgically repaired hand, Eddie Yamin then took the at bat…and was hit by a pitch near the hand. In what was very likely his final Alex Box at bat, Milam laced his q0th home run of the season out to right with two out in the ninth.
Florida controlled the entire weekend. Every time LSU scored on Saturday, Florida answered in the next frame. The Gators will host in two weeks.
THE SCORECARD
LSU didn’t make an error.
Cade Arrambide: 3-for-6, 2 HR, 4 RBI
Mason Braun: 3-for-4, 2 RBI, 2B, BB, R
Steven Milam: 2-for-5, HR, BB, 4 RBI
Florida was 18-for-49 (.409)
LSU had 16 hits.
WHAT’S NEXT
LSU is the No. 14 seed in the SEC Tournament. The Tigers will play Tuesday night against the No. 11 seed. The game is scheduled to begin at 8:00 (it rarely gets started on time).
The Tigers will have to win five games in six days to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
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