No. 2 LSU baseball gets blown out by Mississippi State to lose its first SEC series of the year

No. 2 LSU (17-4, 1-2 SEC) was run-ruled 15-5 by Mississippi State (15-6, 2-1 SEC) to drop its first SEC series of the season.

LSU couldn’t slow down the Bulldogs’ offense all weekend and Sunday was no different. MSU had 15 hits and 15 runs in game three and finished the series with 33 runs and 41 hits over three games.

“It’s my job to separate the results from the play,” LSU head coach Jay Johnson said. “There are elements of it that we want to get batter at, and there are elements where we’re good and can build from.”

Dakota Jordan had a three-RBI homer in the fifth inning to put Mississippi State ahead for good. He finished the game with four RBI on two hits. Hunter Hines added one RBI on one hit and two walks.

Tommy White had his third homer of the weekend and finished with two RBI on two hits. He had seven RBI in the series after coming into the weekend with 12 on the season.

Thatcher Hurd got the start for LSU and went 5.0 innings before being pulled. He recorded three strikeouts and allowed seven hits, seven runs and three walks.

LSU’s offense started the game with a three up, three down inning in the first. Hurd found himself in trouble right away after allowing a double to the leadoff batter for MSU. LSU got two outs before intentionally walking Hines to put runners on first and second.

Connor Hujsak hit a two-RBI double to score the runners before an RBI double from Aaron Downs scored him. LSU forced a flyout but headed to the second inning trailing 3-0.

Neither offense was able to get on the board over the next three innings and LSU came up to bat in the top of the fifth still trailing by three. Ashton Larson started the inning with a walk and was brough home by a Michael Braswell III RBI double.

MSU walked White and Jared Jones to load the bases. Hayden Travinski was walked on a full count to score a run and Brady Neal was walked to score another and tie the game 3-3. Steven Milam popped out to end the inning.

The Bulldogs’ offense responded right away in the bottom of the fifth. A walk and a single put two runners on base before Jordan’s three-RBI homer reestablished the lead for MSU. Hines followed up with a homer of his own to bring the lead to 7-3 heading to the sixth inning.

LSU’s offense hit back in the sixth thanks to a two-RBI home run from White. Larson doubled to start the inning and advanced to third on a balk before White sent a ball over the centerfield wall to bring the score to 7-5.

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Christian Little came in to pitch for Hurd in the bottom of the sixth inning. He struck out two batters and gave up two singles to put runners on first and second. A single from Jordan and a fielding error from LSU scored two more for Mississippi State.

Hines and Hujsak were walked before Will Hellmers came in for Little. Hellmers gave up an RBI double to the one batter he faced before being pulled for Nic Bronzini. Bronzini gave up a two RBI single to bring the score to 12-5 heading to the seventh inning.

LSU’s offense couldn’t add any runs to the board in the seventh or eighth inning. MSU looked to add to its lead in the bottom of the eighth with the bases loaded and just one out gone. A two-RBI double brought the lead to 14-5.

A walk with the bases loaded brought the score to 15-5 and ended the game thanks to the run-rule. It was the first time LSU was run-ruled since a 12-2 loss to Auburn in May of last year.

LSU’s next game is on Tuesday against Louisiana Tech. That game will start at 6:30 p.m.