Dutton, Auburn handle LSU in series opener

Photo credit (@LSUbaseball on X)

By Hunt Palmer

THE STORY

Over the course of 30 league games, a clunker or two is inevitable.

It came Friday for LSU as Auburn hammered the visiting Tigers 8-4 in a game that wasn’t really that close.

Former LSU hurler Samuel Dutton will probably sleep with a smile on his face Friday night. He handcuffed his former team with six brilliant innings. LSU couldn’t square Dutton up, and he lived in the strike zone. Ethan Frey’s lineout in the fourth was probably the hardest hit ball off of Dutton all night, and it was caught.

On the other side, Kade Anderson was far better than his line indicates.

In the second, Auburn found a couple of holes in the infield with ground balls, and with two out, Chase Fralick golfed a looping line drive that split Derek Curiel and Chris Stanfield in left center to plate two runs.

The big blow came in the fifth.

As rain dumped on the Plainsman Park field, Deric Fabian singled with one out. Eric Snow then hit a two-hopper that got on Tanner Reaves quickly at the hot corner. He failed to glove it. Instead of an inning-ending double play, Auburn had two on and one out after the error. Chris Rembert blooped a single into right field to load the bases, and Ike Irish threw the knockout punch with a towering three-run triple off the centerfield wall on a 3-2 breaking ball that hung a little bit. That made it 5-0, and Cooper McMurray followed with a shift-beater than made it 6-0.

All said, Anderson’s six runs allowed were a season-high. If the defense or lady luck had shown up here or there, it looks nothing like that. Only one of the swings was truly damaging.

Anderson’s velocity and command were as usual, so he didn’t show any ill-effects from the lengthy outing last week. A short week is upcoming, so we’ll see how LSU handles its ace over the next six days.

LSU mounted a little bit of a push against the Auburn bullpen in the seventh. Auburn reliever Cam Tilley issued three free passes to load the bases. Curiel grounded out to first to plate LSU’s first run, and Jones smoked a double into the gap in right center to score two more to make it 7-3.

Mavrick Rizy couldn’t come up with the shutdown inning, though. Auburn answered with a run in the bottom half on a double by Bub Terrell and an RBI single from Eric Guevara. 8-3.

Carson Myers is second on the Auburn staff in appearances. He threw 45 pitches and won’t be available on Saturday. LSU pushed a run across in the ninth with back-to-back doubles from Stanfield and Curiel.

Auburn controlled the game start to finish and deserved the win.

LSU struck out a season-high 12 times and made two errors. That’s not winning baseball. And it hasn’t been the M.O. of this team all year.

LSU’s offense will need to be better early on Saturday and Sunday as the Auburn staff gets choppy from this point. Dutton has really been the only innings eater for the Plainsmen all year.

THE SCORECARD

Samuel Dutton’s line: 6IP, 3H, 0R, 7K, 2BB, 101 pitches, 63 strikes.

Kade Anderson’s line: 4.1IP, 6H, 6R, 5ER, 6K, 4BB, 85 pitches, 57 strikes.

Auburn was 13-for-36 (.361) in the game and 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

LSU was 6-for-33 (.182) in the game and 2-for-9 (.222) with runners in scoring position.

LSU only got the leadoff man on once in nine innings.

Derek Curiel: 2-for-5, 2RBI. He extended his on base streak to all 35 games.

Jared Jones 1-for-5, 2RBI

WHAT’S NEXT

Game two of the three-game set will be played at 6:00 on Saturday. LSU will give Anthony Eyanson (5-0, 3.38 ERA) the ball with Casan Evans and Zac Cowan available. Auburn will turn to junior left hander Cade Fisher (0-0, 4.43ERA). The Auburn southpaw is a Florida transfer. LSU saw him twice in the championship series in Omaha in 2023. He has struggled with walks this season, 17 in 20.1 and has not gone further than four innings in any start.