LSU Makes a Comeback to Win Regional and Survive Another Week

In Game 7 of the Baton Rouge regional, the LSU Tigers took to the field in the final championship game against the Little Rock Trojans. After a hard loss on Sunday night with a 10-4 score, the stage was set for one team to take it all and move on to the super regional.

The thirst for the Little Rock Trojans' blood after the performance on Sunday night was evident, with a back-half rally of 11 hits all scored in the fourth inning and beyond. Making LSU the Baton Rouge regional champions 10-6 final score.

“The environment like tonight was special and it’s been great,” said Jay Johnson. “Those guys were not going to let themselves lose, so when we were down four, they just kept fighting.”

The Tigers' starting Zac Cowan, the junior transfer from Wofford, was no stranger to the pressures of a regional. Putting him on the bump seemed like a good choice, especially since he hadn’t pitched since the South Carolina series.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. After 1.1 innings, 35 pitches and five runs with a 5-1 score in the second inning, true freshman Casan Evans quickly replaced him to try to clean up a no-out inning to minimize the damage going on in the long inning.

As for the bats, star designated hitter Ethan Frey delivered precisely what the Tigers needed from the first inning. A solo homer in the first inning to put the Tigers up, and then after two scoreless innings, he strikes again.

Bases loaded with two outs, one swing and a 1-1 count, a double to right center clears the bases with a 3-run RBI double, putting the Tigers back in the game and within striking distance with a 4-5 score, Trojans still leading.

The once-subpar atmosphere of a packed Alex Box was making the Box sound louder than a Saturday night in Death Valley. LSU was back in the game, and the confidence was abundant, accompanied by a newfound sense of energy to play.

The hunt to get tied to the game was on, and Luis Hernandez answered with a solo shot homer, put the score at 5-5, with a tied up game that still wasn’t enough, and after a double from Ethan Frey and a ground out from Stevan Milam.

Frey returned to the dugout, this time with a 6-5 lead, and the Tigers were back on top. Adding to just the one-run lead, Luis Hernandez comes back in the eighth inning and delivers yet another solo homer, putting some space between the Tigers and Trojans, 7-5.

After six innings pitched, 12 strikeouts and no runs, the freshman Casan Evans finished his performance on the mound and did everything LSU needed, painting zeros all over the scoreboard.

In the bottom of the eighth, he was replaced with Anthony Eyanson, who made his second series appearance.

Eyanson takes to the mound in the bottom of the ninth and allows one run, but it was shut down quickly after a ground out to Tanner Reaves put it away the score now at 7-6 going into the ninth this top inning was the last chance for LSU to add more runs on the board.

When the call was ringing, Jared Jones, who had been in a hitting slump, answered and hit a two-run homer out of the Box, bringing the score to 9-6. To continue on the hot streak, a single from Hernandez sent Stanfield back to the dugout with a 10-6 score.

In the bottom of the ninth, Eyanson took to the mound one final time and delivered a three-up and three-down performance and shut it down to make the Tigers the Baton Rouge regional champions.