GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
No. 6 national seed LSU’s baseball season will hang in the balance on Monday against a Little Rock.
Little Arkansas-Little Rock, which came in with one of the worst records in the NCAA Regional field at 24-32 and 8-16 in the Ohio Valley Conference, won its first NCAA postseason game in history on Saturday over Rhode Island.
And on Sunday, the Trojans beat their first national power in an NCAA Regional ever in seven-time national champion and frequent No. 1 this season, LSU, 10-4, in front of a shocked and emptying Alex Box Stadium crowd that was 11,510 – until the late innings.
LSU BASEBALL LOOKED SO PERFECT ON SUNDAY, BUT
The Tigers (45-15) now find themselves a loss away from their season ending when they play Arkansas-Little Rock (27-33) at 8 p.m. Monday on ESPNU. The winner advances to the best-of-three Super Regional. If LSU wins, that will be at Alex Box. If UALR wins, the Trojans will go to West Virginia, which won the NCAA Regional at Clemson, South Carolina.
“Certainly, some guys on the mound didn’t perform probably the way that they want to or maybe to the point where they’re capable of,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson, who watched five pitchers walk 11 batters and allow eight hits.
“I didn’t sense a widespread panic or anything like that in the dugout,” Johnson said. “Credit them, they made some big pitches with runners on base, and we gave them a lot of free bases, and then they cashed in, took some really good at-bats with runners on base.”
And blame LSU for not taking advantage of major scoring opportunities in the second inning when it left two runners in scoring position while up 3-0, in the third inning when it left the bases loaded while up 3-2 and in the fourth inning when it left the bases loaded again when down 6-3. The Tigers scored once in the fifth to get within 6-4, but they left two more on when Jared Jones struck out.
Then things started to resemble a mid-week game as Johnson seemed to be holding pitching tryouts. Reliever Jacob Mayers, for example, walked four batters in only an inning and a third as UALR scored four runs in the eighth for the 10-4 lead without getting a hit.
“I think the game kind of speaks for itself, where it got away from us,” Johnson said. “And we’ll leave it here tonight, turn all our focus to tomorrow and find a way to play great.”
Johnson did save two of his best pitchers for Monday in freshman right-hander Casan Evans (3-1, 1.96 ERA, 6 saves) and junior right-hander Zac Cowan (3-3, 2.38 ERA, 6 saves).
The Trojans had to win five straight games in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament last week to even qualify for their second NCAA Regional ever. Then they battled through the losers’ bracket after a 7-0 loss to LSU Friday, winning three games in two days to get to Monday.
UALR has won eight of nine games since May 21 after winning just eight of 24 Ohio Valley Conference games from March 21 through May 17.
“They just won the biggest game in program history on the biggest stage in college baseball,” UALR coach Chris Curry said. “They’re having a lot of fun and playing with no fear, no pressure, and have for weeks now.”
The Trojans beat Rhode Island, 22-10, on Saturday in its first of three elimination games. Then they defeated Dallas Baptist, 8-6, on Sunday afternoon, did not change out of their uniforms and beat LSU.
“I’m just along for the ride,” Curry said. “At least for one more day.”
The only other team to enter the NCAA Regional field with a losing record was North Dakota State, which came in at 20-32 and 13-15 in the Summit League after also winning its conference tournament with a win over Oral Roberts. The Bison were eliminated after three games to finish 21-34.
But Arkansas-Little Rock, which also was thought to not have a prayer, lives on.
LSU PITCHER JADEN NOOT GETS START, BUT QUICKLY RUNS INTO TROUBLE
“Man, I really thought we were capable of doing a lot of things,” said UALR first baseman Angel Cano, whose two-run home run in the second off LSU starter Jaden Noot cut the Tigers’ lead to 3-2 before his three-run double sparked a four-run third inning for a 6-3 lead.
“Like coach says, ‘Hold The Rope,'” he said.
LSU had rolled through its first two games in the Regional with a 7-0 win over Little Rock on Friday night, then a 12-0 victory over Dallas Baptist on Saturday night.
And the Tigers looked like they were on their way to a similar victory early Sunday night when they took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning as the visitor. Steven Milam stroked a two-run single, and LSU scored another run on an error.
But Noot unraveled as he allowed two runs on three hits with two walks. Chase Shores came on to surrender four runs on three walks and one hit for the loss to fall to 5-3. LSU had its chances throughout as it left 10 runners on base in all.
And all that after LSU played probably its most perfect game of the season in winning, 12-0, Saturday over Dallas Baptist.
“Yeah, it’s a special day in life tomorrow,” Johnson said. “Opportunity. That’s what it is. It’s opportunity, and I’m excited about tomorrow. Less than 24 hours ago, we probably played the cleanest and best brand of baseball that you could possibly play at this level. And that was 24 hours ago, so I’m excited to see them do that tomorrow.”
And for Arkansas-Little Rock, they’ll have fresh uniforms.
“We only brought one set,” Curry said. “So we’ll wash those.”
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