LSU Baseball Loses Opening 2 Games Of A Series For 1st Time This Season At Auburn

GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

For the first time this season, the LSU baseball team is facing adversity.

The No. 3 Tigers did lose a series at Texas three weeks ago, but that was after winning the opener. They are in danger now of getting swept in a series for the first time all season after losing their second straight at No. 9 Auburn Saturday night, 4-2.

LSU (31-5, 10-4 Southeastern Conference) lost the opener, 8-4, Friday night to end a nine-game winning streak. The Tigers and Tigers (25-10, 8-6 SEC) play the series finale at 2 p.m. Sunday on SEC Network+. Sophomore right-hander Chase Shores (5-1, 4.66 ERA) will start for LSU against a starter yet to be named.

The Bayou Tigers will also have one of the nation’s top relievers available on full rest in freshman Casan Evans (1-0, 0.77 ERA, 6 saves) as he did not pitch on Friday or Saturday. Evans has struck out 39 in 23 and a third innings with eight walks.

As was the case Friday, LSU failed to get timely hits time and time again. The Tigers put up eight hits, including a solo home run by Steven Milam for a 1-0 lead in the second inning off Auburn starter Cade Fisher. But they were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position after going 2-for-9 in that category Friday. And LSU has struck out 19 times so far on the weekend.

LSU left the bases loaded in the fourth and seventh innings without scoring and left 11 men on base in all. The Tigers cut Auburn’s lead to 4-2 in the eighth on an RBI single by Tanner Reaves off reliever Ryan Hetzler that left runners on first and second. But Hetzler got Chris Stanfield to fly out to center for the second out before lead-off hitter Derek Curiel grounded out to second to end the inning.

Hetzler set LSU down in order in the ninth for his fourth save. Fisher (1-0) allowed one run on three hits with one walk and six strikeouts in five innings for the win.

Auburn appears to have scouted LSU very well. In the first game, the Tigers had just six hits and struck out 12 times. LSU leading average hitter, home run hitter and RBI leader Jared Jones is 1-for-10 in the two games with five strikeouts at No. 2 in the order. Daniel Dickinson, the Tigers’ No. 3 hitter in the order, is 2-for-8 with two strikeouts. Ethan Frey, one of LSU’s top platoon hitters, is 0-for-7 on the weekend with two strikeouts.

LSU clearly pitched well enough to win. Starter Anthony Eyanson allowed the four runs on six hits with one walk and five strikeouts in five innings. LSU relievers Conner Ware, Connor Benge and DJ Primeaux allowed one hit and one walk in three innings.