Arkansas takes series finale from LSU behind strong bullpen

(Photo Credit: @LSUbaseball on X)

By Hunt Palmer

THE STORY

A great weekend for LSU ended on a sour note Sunday.

Arkansas salvaged the final game of the three-game set with a, 7-4, win at Alex Box Stadium.

Jay Johnson was ejected. Casan Evans, who had allowed five earned runs on the season entering the game, allowed four earned in the third inning. Tiger pitching walked three straight to lead off the top of the ninth. Two scored for Arkansas insurance.

LSU issued nine walks. Four of those scored.

Still, LSU had its chances.

After Arkansas tallied the four in the third off Evans, LSU answered back with singles by Daniel Dickinson, Jake Brown and Luis Hernandez to plate a run. After Michael Braswell was hit by a pitch, the bases were loaded with one out in a 4-3 game. Steven Milam rolled into a tailor-made double play to extinguish the threat.

In the seventh, John Pearson pinch hit for Brown and struck out with Ethan Frey on third. In the eighth, Josh Pearson and Milam singled. After Chris Stanfield’s RBI ground out, Derek Curiel came to the plate with Milam representing the tying run on second. Curiel grounded to second.

Conner Ware and William Schmidt couldn’t find the strike zone in the Arkansas ninth. That meant LSU needed three in the bottom half to tie, and Dickinson singled in front of a Frey walk.

Cade Arrambide and Hernandez dug in as the tying run, but Arrambide went down looking, and Hernandez smoked a line drive right to the shortstop to end it.

Hernandez and Milam jumped the scoring off with solo homers in the second.

Chase Shores and Jacob Mayers were bright spots for the bullpen. Shores worked 3.1 innings of two-hit, one-run ball with four strikeouts. Mayers was called upon in the eighth to pitch to Wehiwa Aloy. He really overmatched the potential SEC Player of the Year with some 99 mph heat and a wicked slider for strike three.

While a sweep would have been ideal, the weekend was a success. Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson were fantastic. So was Zac Cowan. LSU’s offense erupted on Saturday and collected 10 more hits Sunday.

LSU enters the final regular season week 40-12, 17-10. A workmanlike effort in Columbia next weekend will be enough to accomplish the goal of being a top eight seed. That’s ultimately all the regular season is for.

A couple of more swings by the offense or strikes by the staff could have really put LSU in prime position. There’s work to be done, but it’s very doable.

THE SCORECARD

Derek Curiel, Jared Jones and Ethan Frey: 0-for-11, 8 strikeouts

Luis Hernandez: 2-for-5, HR, 2RBI

Steven Milam: 2-for-4, HR

LSU was just 3-for-16 with runners on and 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Arkansas bullpen: 7IP, 6H, 1R, 1ER, 3BB, 11K

WHAT’S NEXT

The players are done with school and midweek games. The Tigers will practice Monday and Tuesday before heading to Columbia, S.C., Wednesday for a Thursday night start at South Carolina.

The Gamecocks, coached by former LSU had man Paul Mainieri, are just 5-22 in SEC play and have lost their last five games by a combined score of 75-18.