GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU coach Jay Johnson missed most of the last two innings of his team’s game against No. 2 Arkansas Sunday after an ejection. But much of it would have been hard to watch in person anyway as he missed the return of LSU’s walk-pen, aka its bullpen, and a 7-4 loss at Alex Box Stadium.
The No. 3 Tigers (40-12, 17-10 Southeastern Conference) drew within 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth without Johnson when Josh Pearson singled, moved to third on Steven Milam’s single and scored on a ground out by Chris Stanfield. But Derek Curiel hit into a double play to end the inning.
Then the top of the ninth featured four LSU pitchers and four walks, including one with the bases loaded, and an RBI single for the three-run deficit as many of the 11,079 at the Box left before the Tigers’ last at-bat.
LSU WINS RPI-VALUABLE SERIES OVER ARKANSAS, LIKELY CLINCHES HOME REGIONALS
LSU reliever Conner Ware opened the ninth inning by walking Logan Maxwell. Highly-touted freshman William Schmidt then walked Kuhio Aloy and Ryder Helfrick on 11 pitches to load the bases with nobody out, and and he was out of there, too. Mavrick Rizy came and got a pop-up to shortstop, but then walked in a run by walking Brent Iredale and gave up an RBI single to Reese Robinett. And the Tigers were down 7-4.
LSU brought the tying run to the plate twice in the ninth after putting two on with one out, but Cade Arrambide struck out after mysteriously trying to bunt, and Luis Hernandez lined to shortstop to end the game.
“I didn’t get to see it from my normal spot obviously because I was ejected,” Johnson said. “I did have it on the TV (in the office). I have no questions about Conner Ware, William Schmidt, Mavrick Rizy – how good of pitchers they’re going to be for us. So, I want to learn from that for them and get ’em ready because whether it’s this weekend (at South Carolina) or Hoover (SEC Tournament in Alabama), we’re going to be calling on those guys again.”
Johnson argued a ball call against LSU pitcher Cooper Williams in the top of the eighth that resulted in a one-out walk to Arkansas’ Justin Thomas Jr. Home plate umpire Brandon Cooper raised his hand to ring Thomas up for a strikeout, but suddenly changed his mind and called the ball. That got Johnson up, but he had barely exited the dugout before Cooper quick hooked him.
“I told him, ‘You flinched. You missed it. You know you did.’ And he ejected me,” Johnson said. “Then I said, ‘You didn’t give me a warning.’ He said he gave our dugout a warning.”
Cooper did give LSU’s dugout a warning previously in the game.
“So, I made a misinterpretation of what I guess that is or was,” Johnson said.
Arkansas ended up not scoring in the inning anyway as Williams got a fly out from Charles Davalan, and Ware struck out Wehiwa Aloy to end the inning. Pitching coach Nate Yeskie took over the team, but spent most of the ninth warming up and changing pitchers.
LSU’s starting pitcher Casan Evans did not fare well for the second straight start. He allowed four runs in the third inning and seven hits and three walks in all in just three and two-thirds innings to take the loss and fall to 3-1. And that was after LSU gave him a 2-0 lead in the second inning with back-to-back solo home runs by Hernandez and Milam.
“That was a tough inning because he did give up some hard contact,” Johnson said of Evans’ third inning. “We still almost wiggled our way through it with minimal damage, or at least being out of there at 2-2. Sometimes it doesn’t break that way. I’m very proud of him, though. He went back out there in the fourth and got us two big outs. Totally fine with that performance. He’s the best freshman pitcher in college baseball. Welcome to college baseball. Your first three starts are Tennessee, Texas A&M on the road and Arkansas. He won’t see anything better than what he saw in the last three weeks.”
Dylan Carter (6-0) held LSU scoreless and hitless through two innings of relief for the win. LSU totaled 10 hits, but left 11 runners on.
The loss will likely not damage the Tigers’ top eight seed hopes that guarantee host sites for the NCAA Regional and Super Regional next month, unless they collapse at South Carolina (26-26, 5-22 SEC) in the final regular season series Thursday through Sunday.
LSU is alone in third place in the SEC behind Texas (40-10, 20-7) and Arkansas (41-11, 18-9) after two RPI-golden wins over Arkansas, which is No. 4 in the Ratings Percentage Index rankings, on Friday, 5-4 in 10 innings, and Saturday, 13-3 in seven innings by 10-run rule. LSU came into the series with a No. 9 RPI ranking that should rise.
“We’ve definitely earned the right to play home baseball,” Johnson said. “Let’s just make it simple for the people who decide that this weekend.”
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