LSU enhances its postseason chances with a 6-4 upset victory over No. 1 Texas A&M.
LSU defeated No. 1 Texas A&M 6-4 to win its third consecutive series win to bolster its chances of making it to postseason play
LSU, which has won nine of its last 11 games, improved to 31-17 overall and 9-14 in the SEC, while Texas A&M dropped to 39-8 overall and 15-8 in conference play.
A big reason for LSU’s upset victory was the performance of LSU relief pitcher Christian Little. Little (2-0) entered the game at the start of the sixth inning and limited Texas A&M to one run on two hits in 3.2 innings with one walk and six strikeouts.
“I’m really proud of our team,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “I think the story was our pitching; Christian Little threw 64 pitches and gave a completely dominant performances. I couldn’t be prouder of him.”
LSU starting pitcher Luke Holman allowed three runs in the top of the first inning but then recorded four straight scoreless frames. Holman was charged with three runs on three hits in 5.0 innings with five walks and 10 strikeouts.
“We’re in Game 7 every game,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “I don’t think you could have a better response to that type of deal than our team is providing right now.”
“Luke, after giving up three in the first, to give us four zeroes in a row, was awesome,” Johnson said.
Down 3-0 in the bottom of the third inning with two outs and an empty base, the Tigers turned the tide, scoring three runs.
Third baseman Tommy White and first baseman Jared Jones, the first baseman, consecutively hit home runs, narrowing the score to 3-2. LSU leveled the game when left fielder Josh Pearson doubled and later scored on an RBI single by designated hitter Hayden Travinski.
The game remained deadlocked at 3-3 until the bottom of the seventh inning. Catcher Alex Milazzo drew a walk, advanced to second base on a wild pitch, moved to third on a groundout by White, and then scored on another wild pitch thrown by Aggies reliever Evan Aschenbeck.
LSU expanded their lead with two additional runs in the eighth inning, courtesy of RBI singles from Milazzo and White.
In the top of the ninth, the Aggies narrowed the gap to 6-4 with centerfielder Jace LaViolette’s RBI single. Texas A&M then loaded the bases with two outs.
However, reliever Gavin Guidry sealed the game by getting catcher Jackson Appel to fly out to center field, earning his second save of the season.
The loss was handed to Texas A&M reliever Shane Sdao (3-1), who conceded one run on one hit in 3.1 innings pitched, with one walk and two strikeouts.
“We’ve got a quick turnaround, and we’ve got to be ready to go on Sunday,” Johnson said. “We’re going to throw on the gold jerseys and go for it. We’ve got a lot of arms available to pitch, which is a good thing against a very potent Texas A&M lineup.”
LSU and Texas A&M will play the series finale at 1 p.m. CT Sunday in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field, and the game will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network and streamed on SEC Network +.