Heading into the bottom of the fifth, LSU trailed Alabama 7-3. It wasn’t quite the five-run deficit it had bounced back from yesterday, but in this case, the Tigers had two less innings to mount a comeback.
The deficit was a result of a rough performance from reliever Nate Ackenhausen, along with a throwing error from Jordan Thompson that further added to the Tide’s ever-increasing momentum in the fifth.
Starting Christian Little’s struggles didn’t help matters either, as he was subbed out earlier than the coaching staff probably wanted him to be, but he at least managed to get the Tigers out of some rough spots to temporarily hold Alabama at bay.
Through the first three innings, he allowed just onerun, which came when Tre Morgan failed to secure a routine fly-out. That came despite facing loaded bases in both the first and third innings, as Little and the LSU outfield managed to clutch up in both scenarios.
He’d produced less balls than strikes and issued as many walks as he had strikeouts, but he managed to keep Alabama at bay through the first three innings and struck out its final batter of the third with the bases loaded. When asked about Little’s struggles, LSU head coach Jay Johnson said that they mostly had to do with the team they were facing.
“I mean, he threw more strikes last week than he did this week,” Johnson said. “Again, Omaha-caliber team, like that’s just the bottom line. Just to sweep an RPI Top 20 team that already has 30 wins at this point is a great accomplishment.”
He’d ultimately falter in the fourth, hitting Colby Shelton to start before surrendering a double that would allow him to reach home. With 86 pitches, the LSU coaching staff sent Ackenhausen into the game, which is where things took a nosedive.
Less than two innings later, the Tigers had gone from leading by two atthestart of fourth to trailing by four entering the bottom of the fifth. Against ten batters, Ackenhausen allowed four hits and four runs (two earned), and he stumbled to get the Tigers out of the rough situation left behind by Little in the 4th.
Alabama’s bats were hot, and the Crimson Tide held all the momentum.
Considering what had happened just one night prior, there likely wasn’t a single soul in the Box that doubted they could come back. Rooting for a team that makes multi-run comebacks appear routine does that to people, and though pulling off two within a 24-hour span is absurd, it certainly isn’t impossible for LSU.
“No. We’re never out of a game,” Johnson said when asked if there was a deficit this team couldn’t come back from. “With our team and our offense, the other team is going to have to use their bullpen in any game they’re ahead or we’re going to come back.”
On Saturday, it took the Tigers four innings to steal the lead from the Tide. Today, it took one.
Before they even achieved a hit or received an out in the fifth, the bases were already loaded. A throwing error from Colby Shelton along with two issued walks set Dylan Crews up with an immediate opportunity to get them back into the game.
He’d single to left field, allowing Alex Milazzo to get home.
Following Crews’s at-bat, it would take Alabama four more batters to even pick up an out, as the Tigers put up runs left and right on an array of hits and walks. At that point, White reached home off a fly out from Jared Jones to regain the lead for LSU.
It would score one more run in fifth and five more runs total, pulling off the sweep with a 13-11 win in Game Three. With the Tigers allowing 11 runs, 10 hits and 7 walks while also hitting three batters and attributing four errors, this was by no means a perfect game defensively, but the offense once again worked wonders.
Their next action takes place in Hammond, as they’ll travel to face Southeastern Louisiana at 6:30 p.m.
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