By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
No. 24 LSU led early and tied it late, but imploded in the eighth inning and fell, 6-3, at No. 25 Ole Miss on Friday night in the Southeastern Conference.
The Tigers (22-13, 6-7 SEC), who entered the series with a pedestrian Ratings Percentage Index ranking of No. 75 after a loss to No. 212 Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday, had a chance for an impressive RPI win against the No. 13 RPI Rebels, but couldn’t get it done.
The Rebels (24-11, 6-7 SEC) scored three runs in the eighth with two of those unearned on four hits off reliever Zac Cowan and an error by infielder Ethan Clauss for the 6-3 lead. Cowan (1-1) took the loss, allowing four hits and one earned run in an inning and two-thirds.
LSU and Ole Miss meet Saturday at 4 p.m. on SEC Network+.
LSU took a 2-0 lead in the first inning of Ole Miss ace Hunter Elliott when Chris Stanfield walked to lead off and scored on Jake Brown’s two-run home run.
The Rebels tied it 2-2 in the bottom of the first off LSU starter Casan Evans as Dom Decker and Tristan Bissetta singled to lead off before an RBI single by Will Furniss – son of former Tiger great Eddy Furniss. Bissetta then scored from third on the sixth passed ball of the season by catcher Omar Serna Jr.
Ole Miss ninth batter Owen Paino gave the Rebels a 3-2 lead off Evans on a solo home run to right field.
After four scoreless innings on both sides as Evans and Elliott dueled, LSU tied it 3-3 in the seventh. Ole Miss reliever Landon Waters entered and walked John Pearson and Stanfield to start the inning and was out of there. Derek Curiel later hit a sacrifice fly to center off reliever Walter Hooks to tie it.
Evans struck out nine in six innings, allowing five hits and three runs with two walks and a hit batsman on 107 pitches. Hooks (3-0) threw three innings of one-hit ball with three strikeouts and no walks for the win.
Elliott allowed three runs on five hits and two walks with nine strikeouts.
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