By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
No. 13 LSU left no doubt it was not going to leave Nashville without a Southeastern Conference win at Vanderbilt over the weekend.
The Tigers poured on 10 hits for a 16-9 victory over the Commodores on Sunday afternoon after losing the first two games of the series, 13-12 and 11-3. LSU avoided its first 0-3 start in SEC play in 15 years.
LSU (14-7, 1-2 SEC) also became the first Tiger team to beat a Vanderbilt team in the 2025-26 all-sports calendar sports year. The No. 10-ranked football team lost, 31-24, at No. 17 Vanderbilt on Oct. 18, the No. 5 women’s basketball team fell, 65-61, at No. 11 Vanderbilt on Jan. 4, and the men’s basketball team lost, 84-73, at No. 11 Vanderbilt on Jan. 10.
The football loss marked the first one to Vanderbilt since, 24-21, in Nashville on Sept. 22, 1990. Two other major sports suffered losses that calendar year at Vanderbilt with the men’s basketball team losing, 63-59, on Feb. 2, 1991, and the women’s basketball team falling, 73-72, on Feb. 3, 1991. But the men’s basketball team beat Vanderbilt, 87-80, on Jan. 2, 1991, in Baton Rouge, and the baseball team took two of three from Vanderbilt on May 4-5 in Baton Rouge, 8-5 and 21-15, with an 11-6 loss.
“Like, he’s the best coach since Skip Bertman in college baseball, in my opinion.”
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) March 12, 2026
-Jay Johnson on Tim Corbin, whom Skip once interviewed to be LSU’s coach.https://t.co/WjBStG6EjG
But this one Sunday was not as easy as the score may indicate as Vanderbilt also got 10 hits, including four home runs, and wouldn’t go away.
The Tigers took a 4-0 lead after the first inning and 6-1 after two. But it was not over.
Vanderbilt (13-8, 2-1 SEC) cut LSU’s lead to 6-5 in the fifth with four runs as LSU starter William Schmidt had to leave the game with back stiffness as a precaution after facing two batters. He gave up a lead-off home run to Tommy Goodin and walked Rustan Rigdon on four pitches. He is expected to be fine, LSU coach Jay Johnson said after the game.
“That guy’s health is the key to my life for the next 18 months. So it just wasn’t really worth it.”
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) March 16, 2026
-LSU coach Jay Johnson after taking starting pitcher out in 5th inning with 6-2 lead, and it was soon 6-6.https://t.co/f4yT7Xa6LW
The Commodores tied it 6-6 in the sixth before LSU took an 11-6 lead in the seventh with a three-run home run by Jake Brown in a five-run rally. But the Tigers let Vanderbilt get within 11-9 in the bottom of the seventh on a three-run home run by Mack Whitcomb off Deven Sheerin.
Finally, the Tigers put it away with five runs in the eighth inning for the 16-9 lead as Brown and Cade Arrambide each hit two-run singles and Omar Serna Jr. added an RBI single. Brown finished 2-for-4 with six RBIs. Arrambide was 2-for-5 with three RBIs.
Schmidt allowed only three hits and three runs with three walks and six strikeouts before leaving in the fifth. Sheerin (2-0) picked up the win with two earned runs allowed out of three and two hits in two and a third innings with four strikeouts and one walk.
Vanderbilt reliever Brennan Seiber (2-1) took the loss, though he only allowed three runs on two hits in five innings with four strikeouts and one walk.
Goodin hit two solo home runs off Schmidt and finished the series 5-for-9 with three home runs after coming in hitting .213. LSU used five pitchers in all to Vanderbilt’s six.
The Tigers host Grambling State (5-13, 2-1 SWAC) on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. before hosting No. 9 Oklahoma (17-3, 2-1 SEC) in a Thursday-Saturday SEC series – 7 p.m. Thursday on ESPNU and 6:30 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday on SEC Network+. Oklahoma took two of three over the weekend over No. 22 Texas A&M.
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