LSU Opens SEC Play With 12-5 Win Over Missouri

A great way to start off conference play

Despite starting off in a 2-0 deficit, LSU (18-1, 1-0) got off on the right foot in conference play with a convincing 12-5 win over Missouri Friday evening at Alex Box Stadium.

LSU has now won 13 consecutive games, its longest winning streak since the 2023 season.

Kade Anderson once again got the Friday night start and but for a few bad pitches in the second inning, was in complete control of the game. Anderson went a career-best 6.1 innings and threw 95 pitches. He finished the night with 11 Ks against two walks, four hits, and three runs.

“Kade is an ace in the truest sense of the word,” Johnson said. “You don’t have to be a baseball expert to see the quality of pitcher that he is, with the strikes, the change of speeds and the location. Even more, who he is as a person and a competitor with his character, really shines through.”

As mentioned above, Anderson paid for two bad pitches in the second inning. Working off a full count, he gave up a single into right field to Brock Daniels and on the very next pitch, Jackson Lovich took Anderson deep to give Missouri a 2-0 lead.

That lead wouldn’t last long as Luis Hernandez evened the game in the home half of the second inning with his second home run of the season.

LSU blew the game open in the fourth inning and scored five runs. The run was sparked by freshmen left fielder Derek Curiel who cleared the bases with a three-run triple that just managed to stay fair.

Curiel was brought home two batters later by Daniel Dickinson who had a run-producing groundout to third base. LSU’s fifth run of the frame came courtesy of Jake Brown who, pinch hitting for Ethan Frey, brought home Jared Jones.

Brown had a big night coming off the bench. He went 2-2 at the plate and drove in four runs. He brought home two more runs in the sixth inning with a double that scored Jones and Chris Stanfield; Brown’s fourth RBI of the contest came by way of a sacrifice fly in the eighth that scored Curiel.

LSU scored nine unanswered runs after going down 2-0 and Jay Johnson turned to Connor Benge to come on for Anderson. Benge’s outing had more lows than highs as he gave up three runs in just two-thirds of work. Benge came into the game with runners on the corners and walked the first batter he faced to load the bases. Missouri was able to get a sac fly to center field to bring home a run, but Benge was able to limit the damage to just that one run in the seventh.

Benge came on in the eighth and allowed back-to-back home runs that cut LSU’s lead from 9-3 to 9-5, and Johnson went to DJ Primeaux. Primeaux retired the only two batters he faced, before Johnson went to the pen one final time Friday evening and let Zac Cowan record the final four outs of the night.

Cowan was a perfect 4-4 in retiring batters, striking out two, and forcing a groundout and a strikeout. Cowan only threw 17 pitches Friday night so he ought to be able to give LSU something either in tomorrow’s game or on Sunday.

LSU answered Mizzou’s three runs with a three-spot of its own in the bottom of the eighth inning. Brown’s sac fly gave LSU a 10-5 advantage, and Steven Milam ended the night on the right note with a two-run shot to right field.

“I’m very proud of our team and our offense,” Johnson said. “It’s easy to see the talented players that we have, but how they play is the separator. They’re doing a really good job, and they’re going to need to continue to do a really good job in order for us to score runs.”

LSU will try to win the series tomorrow evening as Anthony Eyanson (3-0, 3.00 ERA, 24.0 IP, 35 Ks, 5 BBs) takes the mound and will go up against Missouri’s Will Libbert (1-1, 5.40 ERA, 13.1 IP, 12 Ks, 9 BBs). First pitch is schedule for 6:00 P.M. and the game may be streamed via SEC Network.