(Photo Credit @LSUbaseball on X)
By Hunt Palmer
THE STORY
With better than 50 scouts on hand in Norman Thursday night, Kade Anderson put on a show.
The sophomore southpaw fired LSU’s first complete game shutout since AJ Labas against Lamar in 2018, blanking No. 10 Oklahoma with 14 strikeouts.
Anderson retired the last 12 he faced and 16 of his last 17 to slam the door emphatically on a game one win.
A true ace makes life a lot easier in college baseball, and LSU (28-3, 8-2) appears to have one in Anderson. Thursday night was an excellent night to pitch in Norman. It was cool and windy. But that performance plays in any conditions.
Only one Sooner leadoff man reached base, and the Sooners were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Anderson used his fastball to both get ahead and put hitters away. He commanded his slider and curveball when he needed them.
He escaped the only real jam he encountered in the first when he got back-to-back strikeouts with the bases loaded to end the inning.
All of that being said, Anderson reached his season inning total from last year on Thursday, and I did not love 135 pitches in that or any spot. Yes, next week does offer LSU an extra day of rest with the Friday start, but 135 pitches is just too many for my liking.
I’m no orthopedic doctor, pitching coach or starting pitcher. Just my gut feeling.
Anderson’s performance now really, really sets LSU up for the weekend. Oklahoma’s ace is spent, and the Tigers still have Zac Cowan and Casan Evans ready to go which can shorten the leash on the starters for Friday and Saturday.
Speaking of the Sooners’ ace, he’s a stud, and LSU did a solid job against him on a tough night to hit.
Kyson Witherspoon struck out Derek Curiel and Jared Jones to open the game and only struck out two of the next 23 he faced. That’s battling.
LSU didn’t knock Witherspoon around. But they struck when they got a couple of chances.
Curiel doubled with one out in the third, and Jones followed with a gorgeous two-strike RBI single to right field on a slider away. Both of those plate appearances were exceptional.
In the fifth, Luis Hernandez hit the first of his two doubles on the night. This one lead off the inning to the opposite field. After a Tanner Reaves sacrifice bunt, Chris Stanfield punched an opposite field double inside the bag at first to plate the game’s second run.
Hernandez was back at it to lead off the seventh. His double into left field chased Witherspoon. Michael Braswell pinch hit and dropped down a great bunt on a tough breaking ball. This time Stanfield couldn’t pay it off. He missed a squeeze sign and left Hernandez hung up between home and third.
It didn’t matter, because Anderson was that good.
LSU is proving it can wis games a number of ways. The offense has been sensational all year, as has the defense. Now in back-to-back weekends LSU has outdueled an ace with brilliant pitching and just enough timely hitting. Home runs were not going to be a factor on Thursday, so LSU manufactured a couple of runs.
These are the signs of a team with a real chance to make a run.
THE SCORECARD
Kade Anderson’s line: 9IP, 5H, 0R, 2BB, 14K, 135 pitches, 91 strikes
Kyson Witherspoon’s line: 6IP, 6H, 2R, 2ER, 1BB, 4K, 100 pitches, 68 strikes
Luis Hernandez: 2-for-3, 2 2B, R
Sam Christianson: 2-for-3, 2B. The rest of Oklahoma’s lineup: 3-for-28, 0 extra base hits
LSU only walked once and only struck out six times.
Neither team made an error.
Oklahoma was 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. LSU was 2-for-4.
WHAT’S NEXT
Game two of the series is set for 6:30 Friday. Anthony Eyanson (4-0, 3.85 ERA) will oppose Cade Crossland (1-1, 6.66 ERA)
Eyanson is coming off a brilliant start against Mississippi State where he outdueled Pico Kohn for a win. Crossland was inserted into the rotation last week at Alabama. He worked six innings of two run baseball against the Crimson Tide.
