LSU Wins Dramatic 10 Inning Game in Frisco Classic Opener

First Power 4 win of the season

Exhale.

LSU (9-1) played in its first extra inning game of 2025 and came out on top 8-5 against Kansas State Friday afternoon in the opening game of the Frisco College Classic.

“I’m proud of the way we played today and continuing the process of developing who we are,” Johnson said. “I really like how we’re trending.”

Fresh off of a six-inning save Wednesday night against Dallas Baptist, Casan Evans was credited with the win as he pitched the final two innings of Friday’s game. Evans gave up three hits, walked one, and struck out three.

Kade Anderson made his third start of the season and had a pretty strong outing. For the second week in a row, Anderson pitched into the sixth inning and threw a season-high 92 pitches. Over the course of his start, Anderson gave up three hits, a pair of runs, walked three batters, hit another one, and had a season-best 10 strikeouts.

Anderson had a two-run cushion to work with in the third inning when freshman left fielder Derek Curiel hit an RBI triple to score Chris Stanfield; Curiel was brought home two batters later when Daniel Dickinson laid down a sacrifice bunt to give LSU a 2-0 lead.

Anderson surrendered that 2-0 lead in the sixth inning after allowing back-to-back home runs to K-State third basemen Dee Kennedy and DH Seth Dardar. Mavrick Rizy came on in relief of Anderson to end the sixth inning and keep the game tied 2-2 but didn’t make it easy on himself. Rizy gave up a hit and intentionally walked a batter.

LSU immediately regained the lead in the seventh inning by pushing across three runs courtesy of a Dickinson three-run home run, his second of the week.

Rizy may have escaped the sixth without giving up a run, but he ran into trouble in the seventh and this time wouldn’t get out of the danger unscathed. Rizy gave up back-to-back singles and then walked the bases loaded before being pulled for DJ Primeaux. While the situation he inherited was less than ideal, Primeaux’s outing was still brutal nonetheless. Primeaux hit the first two batters he faced on with his first two pitches to make it a 5-4 game.

Connor Benge came on for Primeaux and while he did give up a single to tie the game, he also induced an inning-ending double play to limit the damage. Benge pitched a clean eighth inning and handed the ball to Evans in the ninth.

The only reason Evans was able to pick up the win was because of some phenomenal defense. Dardar hit what would have been a walk-off RBI double to left field, but a beautiful relay by Josh Pearson, Steven Milam, and Luis Hernandez gunned down the winning run.

“I think the story is just how our guys continued to compete in the game,” Johnson said. “We showed great character and played with great fundamentals. We got some big hits last, but the story of the game is our defense in the ninth inning.

“We don’t get a chance to win the game in extra innings if we don’t play defense. We have a lot of good athletes on the team, and it’s manifested itself into some really good defense.”

Pearson hit the go-ahead run in the 10th inning to score Milam, and then Dickinson delivered the knockout punch with a two-run single. On the day Dickinson went 2-4 at the plate with six RBI. He had a single, three-run home run, a sac bunt and also drew a walk.

Tomorrow LSU will play Nebraska with first pitch scheduled for 4:00. The game may only be streamed via D1Baseball, which requires a subscription.