LSU slugs its way to the regional championship round with win over Oregon State

Dylan Crews normally isn’t much for celebrating, but when his missile to right center cleared the fence in the fourth inning, he sprinted around the bases and then danced the final stretch from third to home.

He pointed to the crowd and lifted his arms to awaken it from a slumber induced by waiting through three innings of stranded runners and a three-hour weather delay.

Crews wouldn’t be the last to homer, either, as all six of LSU’s runs were scored on home runs in a 6-5 victory over Oregon State in the winner’s bracket of the Baton Rouge regional on Sunday at Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers will play the winner of the Oregon State-Sam Houston State game in the regional final on Monday.

LSU stayed with its usual rotation, giving right-hander Ty Floyd the start in their second game of the weekend.

But his outing was cut short by a weather delay, which lasted three hours. He finished the first three innings, allowing one earned run on five hits, striking out five and walking two.

Right-hander Thatcher Hurd came on in the top of the fourth when the game resumed. He finished the day matching a career-high of 12 strikeouts through five innings pitched, allowing four earned runs on seven hits. Right-hander Gavin Guidry finished the game from the mound tossing the final inning of relief to earn a save. 

The Beavers (40-19) scored first when Travis Bazzana hit a solo home run to right field in the top of the third, giving them a 1-0 lead before the delay. They added two more runs in the fourth off Hurd on a home run by Brady Kasper. Tanner Smith doubled, then advanced on a sacrifice.

Bazzana’s single scored Smith when infielder Jordan Thompson gloved a ground ball and fired home, missing catcher Hayden Travinski. That throwing error advanced Bazzana to second before Hurd closed the inning on two strikeouts.

LSU’s offense, while potent at the beginning of the year, had recently struggled at the plate with the bases loaded. The Tigers went 5 for 24 in those situations against Southeastern Conference opponents Auburn, Mississippi State, Georgia, South Carolina, Arkansas and Texas A&M in the month of May. And that continued into the second game of the regional, when the Tigers loaded the bases in the first, second and eighth innings and came away with nothing. 

That’s also why LSU (45-15) played more small ball against Tulane in the first game of the regional, when the Tigers scored four of their seven runs on a pair of groundouts and sac flies, and used its six- and eight-hole hitters Gavin Dugas and Thompson, with batting averages of .288 and .263 this year, respectively, to lay bunts down that advanced runners.

That strategy shifted in the fourth inning. The Tigers punched through in the bottom of the frame when Josh Pearson hammered a triple to right field and Crews followed with his two-run blast.

The home run hitting didn’t stop there as Travinski and Cade Beloso hammered back-to-back solo shots in the fifth. Travinski’s cleared the bleachers at left field, while Beloso’s landed in the Diamond Deck in right field.

Josh Pearson added a solo shot to right center in the sixth to extend LSU’s lead, but the Beavers evened the score in the top of the seventh on a two-run blast by Gavin Turley.

Brayden Jobert smashed a go-ahead home run in the eighth to give LSU its 6-5 lead. The Tigers couldn’t add more despite loading the bases once again on singles by Tre’ Morgan, Thompson and Crews. Travinski struck out swinging on a full count to end the inning. 

Guidry preserved the win from the mound. He struck out the first batter he faced then gave up a single. Kasper reached on a fielder’s choice, then advanced into scoring position on a passed ball. Guidry then struck out pinch hitter Tyce Peterson to earn his second save of the season.