GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU has a new closer.
And maybe a set-up man all in one.
At least that’s what happened Saturday night.
Freshman right-hander Casan Evans of Houston pitched the Tigers out of a jam in the seventh inning with tying run on third. He struck out back-to-back batters in the eighth with the bases loaded. Then he struck out two more in the ninth and got a grounder himself to end it for a 7-6 win over Missouri in front of 11,675 at Alex Box Stadium.
Evans picked up his fourth save of the season. Conner Ware (2-0) got the win in relief with an inning and a third of scoreless and hitless relief in the fourth and fifth.
The No. 1 Tigers (19-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) can get a sweep on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Missouri, which dropped to 8-10 and 0-2.
LSU appeared to take control in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Michael Braswell III for a 7-4 lead that lasted until the seventh.
But Missouri ninth batter Keegan Knutson, who came in with no home runs and a .250 average, hit his second home run of the night to open the seventh off freshman reliever William Schmidt, cutting the Tigers’ lead to 7-5. This rattled Schmidt, who walked Gehrig Goldbeck and Mateo Serna and left the game.
DJ Primeaux relieved and immediately hit Cayden Nicoletto to load the bases with nobody out. Primeaux got a double-play grounder out of Brock Daniels, but that scored Goldbeck from third and the Tigers’ lead was down to 7-6. Primeaux walked the next hitter, and Evans came to the rescue. He got Jackson Lorich to ground out to third with the tying run on third.
Evans had to get out of his own trouble in the eighth as he allowed a lead-off single to Trey Lawrence, then walked Pierre Seals. After a bunt moved the runners into scoring position, Evans walked Goldbeck to load the bases. Then he got it going, striking out Serna and Nicoletto back-to-back to end the inning.
After LSU failed to score for the third straight inning, Evans went out for the ninth. He struck out Daniels and Brady Picarelli for his third and fourth in a row. But trouble loomed after Lovich singled. But Evans got Lawrence to bounce back to him, and it was over.
Knutson’s three-run home run with two outs off LSU starter Anthony Eyanson in the fourth inning put Missouri up 4-3. Ware came on to get a fly out from Goldbeck to end the inning.
The Tigers answered that with three of their own in the home fourth to take a 6-4 lead. Braswell’s bunt single tied the game 4-4 before Jared Jones’ two-out, two-run single gave the Tigers their two-run lead.
LSU took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run home run by Josh Pearson off Missouri starter Wil Libbert. The Tigers made that 3-0 in the second when Jake Brown tripled to lead off and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Braswell. Missouri got within 3-1 in the third on a sacrifice fly by Nicoletto after Seals and Goldbeck singled to put runners on the corners.
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