JOURNAL SPORTS
HOOVER, Ala. — After LSU’s offense went into hyperdrive for the final week of the regular season and the Southeastern Conference Tournament opener, LSU couldn’t produce the necessary runs as the Tigers fell overnight Friday and Saturday evening to end their tournament run.
The No. 4 seed Tigers did well to handcuff the No. 1 seed Tennessee offense Friday in a 5-2 loss that ended early Saturday, before a thin LSU pitching staff fell to No. 12 seed Kentucky 7-2 later Saturday.
The LSU bats generated 72 runs in a five-game stretch that ended with an SEC Tournament win (11-6) against Kentucky on Thursday.
The Tigers (38-20) will have to be on the road in an NCAA Regional.
The selection show is today at 11 a.m., with LSU in the field but not one of 16 regional hosts.
Against top-ranked Tennessee, LSU managed two runs (one earned) on SEC Pitcher of the Year Chase Dollander (9-0) while the Vols touched LSU starter Ty Floyd (5-4) for five runs (four earned).
The Vols scored three runs in the first two innings and answered a two-run LSU fifth inning with a pair of runs in the bottom of that inning.
“The team that plays the best is going to win,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson from a Friday contest that poured into Saturday morning. “Tennessee got a good start out of their pitcher, and they made some nice plays on defense.
“We got a couple of swings to drive some guys in, but we just could not convert on the opportunities that we had.”
Eight Tigers were stranded on the basepaths.
The Tigers turned around and rematched Kentucky about 12 hours later.
LSU surrendered all seven runs in the first five innings as starter Jacob Hasty (2-1) didn’t make it out of the first inning (two runs).
The Tigers couldn’t break through against Kentucky starter Tyler Bosma (4-3) or a duo of Wildcats relievers.
GRAMBLING: Bethune Cookman was the thorn in Grambling’s side, handing the Tigers both of their Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament losses to end GSU’s season.
The second loss Friday was in 19-0 fashion in seven innings.
For a Grambling offense that scored in double figures 26 times, GSU was shut out Friday and held to three runs Wednesday in a 4-3 loss to Bethune Cookman in which BCU hit a three-run home run off ace Shemar Page.
GSU (26-31) stayed alive earlier Friday as the No. 2 West see topped West No. 4 mate Texas Southern 14-5.
The usually powerful offense rapped out 18 hits with Page tallying four RBIs on a 3-for-4 day.
ULM: After riding the momentum of its season finale sweep of Arkansas State to a first-round Sun Belt Conference Tournament victory against Georgia State, the Warhawks met their match Friday against top-seeded Texas State in a 8-2 loss to end the season.
Because of thunderstorms that wreaked havoc, the Sun Belt changed its format to a single-elimination tournament.
The No. 10 seed Warhawks (20-35-1) struck early with a Michelle Artzberger two-run home run and held that lead through five innings.
But Texas State scored its first run on a wild pitch and the next two unearned to start a rally that included eight runs between the sixth and the eighth innings.
ULM starter Cam Barlow (2-7) had eight strikeouts and just one earned run in five innings before Texas State feasted on five different ULM relievers. Texas State was upset in the semifinals by eventual tournament champion UL-Lafayette, 3-2. The Cajuns topped Georgia Southern Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Grambling State Athletics