No. 2 LSU baseball dropped its first SEC game of the season to Mississippi State 10-4.
LSU (16-3, 0-1 SEC) starter Luke Holman had his worst start of the season. Coming into the game Holman hadn’t given up a run and had only given up eight hits all season. Tonight, he gave up 10 hits and five runs in just 4.2 innings pitched. It was the first time this season he didn’t go at least 5.0 innings.
MSU (14-5, 1-0 SEC) relief pitcher Nolan Stevens put in standout performance and kept the LSU offense from recording a hit until the ninth inning after coming in during the fourth. He finished the night with eight strikeouts and the win in 5.2 innings pitched. He gave up just one hit, one run and two walks.
Holman gave up a single on his very first pitch of the game to Amani Larry after the Tigers’ offense went three up, three down. He’d give up another single before getting out of the first inning.
Hayden Travinski recorded the first hit of the game for LSU in the top of the second with a double, but a couple fly outs brough the Bulldogs offense back out. Holman gave up a single to start the bottom of the frame. A groundout brought the runner to second before a single put runners on the corners with one out to go.
Larry recorded is second single of the game to score the first run of the game and the first of the season on Holman. Holman struck out the next batter in three pitches to get out of the inning.
LSU’s offense showed its power in the third inning with two homers. Josh Person hit a solo shot and Tommy White hit a two-RBI homer to give LSU a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the inning.
Mr. Tanks Strikes 😤@tommywhite44 | SECN+ pic.twitter.com/D0uA2234Du
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The Bulldogs responded in the bottom of the inning thanks to an RBI single from Aaron Downs. The run was unearned and came after a throwing error by LSU. The Tigers got out of the inning with a 3-2 lead.
LSU started off the fourth inning with two-straight walks and Mississippi State starter Evan Siary was pulled for Stevens. Siary finished the night with one strikeout and gave up five hits, three runs and two walks in 3.0 innings pitched.
Stevens forced three outs against the first three batters he faced to bring Holman back out. Holman forced a three up, three down inning from the Bulldogs to maintain LSU’s 3-2 lead heading into the fifth.
Stevens responded by forcing a three up, three down inning of his own to bring out the MSU offense. The Bulldogs would blow open the game in the fifth inning. A solo home run from Hunter Hines tied the game at 3-3. Connor Hujsak recorded a base hit and Logan Kohler hit a ball that got under Mac Bingham’s glove and allowed an unearned run to score and give the Bulldos the lead.
Holman was pulled for Gavin Guidry who gave up a single to the first batter he faced to score another and bring the lead to 5-3 for MSU. Guidry struck out a batter to end the inning.
LSU’s offense couldn’t get anything going on offense in the sixth. Justin Loer came in to pitch for Guidry and an RBI single from Hujsak in the bottom of the inning brought the lead to 6-3.
LSU went three up three down in the top of the seventh and tempers flared in the bottom of the inning.
Johnny Long was caught in a pickle between first and second and appeared to exchange words with the LSU dugout after getting out. LSU head coach Jay Johnson came out of the dugout screaming at the umpire and both sides were issued a warning.
Steven Milam walked to start the eighth inning but a Jared Jones strikeout followed by Travinski hitting into a double play sent LSU down to its final three outs.
The Bulldogs reached base thanks to a walk and a wild pitch before a three RBI homer from Hines brought the lead to 9-3. An RBI single from Kohler brought the lead to 10-3. It was the fifth run of the night that came with two outs gone for the Bulldogs.
Stevens came back out in the ninth inning and gave up his first hit of the game to Baswell with one out gone. He walked Paxton Kling to put two runners on the corners. Kling stole second to put a pair of runners in scoring position. Pearson grounded out to score Braswell and put Kling on third before Stevens was pulled for Cam Schuelke.
Schuelke walked a batter before White lined out to end the game 10-4.
“We can take some things from this game that will make us a better team,” Johnson said. “We’ll address those when we get back to the hotel and get ready for Saturday. Credit to Mississippi State, they put together good at-bats and they played well tonight.”
Game two will be tomorrow at 4 p.m. and will be televised on the SEC Network.
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