LSU Rallies Late, But Falls To Sacramento State For 3rd Loss In 4 Games

By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

No. 2 LSU tried to cover up for another poor offensive showing with a dramatic, late rally, but fell just short, 5-4, to Sacramento State with the winning runs on base Saturday afternoon at Alex Box Stadium.

Trailing 5-0 entering the bottom of the eighth with only one hit through seven innings, LSU cut it to 5-3 on an RBI double by Zach Yorke and two more runs on a wild pitch and error. Then in the bottom of the ninth, Daniel Harden led off with a home run to get the Tigers within 5-4.

After Derek Curiel lined out to right field, Jake Brown and Steven Milam walked, bringing up Yorke in the cleanup spot. But new reliever Trevor Wilson struck Yorke out, then got Seth Dardar to fly out to center field to end the game and get his first save of the season.

The Tigers (12-4) lost their third game out of the last four and managed only three hits after putting up 14 in a 15-4 win over the same team Friday night. LSU entered that game hitting .209 over its previous six games and apparently got out of its slump.

“I don’t think we got three good at-bats in a row the entire game,” a somber LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “And that’s just a must for us to score.”

LSU-SACRAMENTO STATE SUNDAY GAME TIME CHANGED

The two teams play the third game of the series at 6 p.m. Sunday. It was moved back from its 1 p.m. original starting time due to bad weather expected in the Baton Rouge area.

Sacramento State (4-10) put up only six hits, but it got a critical, two-out grand slam by Cameron Sewell off reliever Jaden Noot, who had just entered the game, for the 5-0 lead.

LSU reliever Deven Sheerin walked Jakob Poturnak after one out to open the eighth. Luis Pimentel-Gue flew out to center for the second out, but Jace Jeremiah singled. Then Sheerin walked Orlando Cobarrubias to load the bases and left the game.

LSU starter Cooper Moore (3-1) took the loss after allowing just one run in the second inning on an RBI double by Sewell. He allowed four hits and three walks with four strikeouts in four and two-thirds innings.

Sean Carey (1-0) pitched two and two-thirds innings from the fifth through the seventh for the win. He allowed no runs, hits or walks and struck out four. It was Sacramento State starter Kurt Marton who deserved the win, but he didn’t go the required five innings, according to LSU scoring. Marton struck out four in four and a third innings with three walks, but the only hit he allowed was a two-out single to Cade Arrambide in the second inning.

Marton then hit Omar Serna Jr. putting Arrambide in scoring position, but he got freshman second baseman Jack Ruckert to fly out to left to end the inning.

LSU put two on with one out in the fifth, but Brown struck out looking, and Milam grounded out to second base.