LSU got shutdown pitching from Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson Friday night in Hoover to beat Texas A&M 4-3 and advance to the SEC Tournament semifinals.
LSU, the No. 3 seed in the tournament. will face No. 7 seed Ole Miss on Saturday. The winner advances to the title game to face either Vanderbilt or Tennessee. LSU (43-13) is looking to make a second consecutive appearance in the championship game, and a match-up with Tennessee would provide the Tigers a shot at redemption after last year’s 4-3 loss to the Vols in the tournament final.
The Tigers got on the board early against the Aggies, pushing 2 runs across in the bottom of the first. They plated 2 more in the bottom of the third to take a 4-0 lead.
Designated hitter Ethan Frey got things going with an RBI double in the first. Catcher Luis Hernandez brought in the second run with a groundout. Frey drove in 2 more with a home run in the third, his 12th of the season.
Texas A&M got 2 runs back in the fourth when designated hitter Jace LaViolette lined an RBI single and first baseman Gavin Kash hit a sac-fly to halve the deficit. LaViolette was playing just hours after having surgery to address a bone fracture in his hand that was suffered just a day prior.
A sac-fly from LaViolette in the sixth added another run to the board for Texas A&M. LaViolette went 1-for-3 at the plate with 2 RBI and 2 strikeouts.
In total, LSU fanned 16 Texas A&M batters on the evening.
Anderson pitched 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits with 1 walk and 12 punch-outs. Eyanson, making his first relief appearance of the season, earned his first save after shutting out A&M over the final 3 innings. He allowed 2 hits with 4 strikeouts and 1 walk.
Eyanson found himself in trouble in the top of the ninth but managed to work his way out of it. A 2-out walk to Kash put the tying run at first for Texas A&M, and then a single on the next at-bat placed runners on the corners.
But Eyanson ended the threat quickly, forcing A&M centerfielder Terrence Kiel II to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the game
“Kade Anderson, the best pitcher in the country. I’ll actually give him the tie for first with Anthony Eyanson. And Ethan Frey, just a spectacular hitter. This is what our program is all about, these guys,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said after the game. “They’re great players, but even better human beings. The only way to get through this thing is talent and character, and I’m lucky to have these players on my team.”
First pitch for Saturday’s semifinal game is set for 2:30 p.m. ET.
The Aggies (30-26) are likely done. Prior to Friday’s game, Baseball America speculated that A&M would need to beat LSU in order to earn “serious” at-large consideration for the NCAA Tournament. In Saturday’s updated bracket projection, the outlet included A&M in the “next 4 out” category.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
