The LSU Baseball team came into Saturday afternoon with one clear task, win any way possible as it ensured the Tigers clinched a Top 4 seed in the SEC Tournament which guarantees a double bye. After Kade Anderson delivered on Friday night, Jay Johnson got to hand the ball over to his other elite pitcher as Anthony Eyanson looked to keep his dominant stretch going.
Early on it looked like Anthony Eyanson may have had an off day as he was struggling with his command at times. In the 2nd inning, a walk and a single hurt Anthony Eyanson as the Gamecocks took a 1-0 lead on an RBI Double but, a great relay by the Tigers kept the runner from scoring from 1st base.
Jared Jones remained red hot in the 4th inning sending a baseball into orbit with a 430 foot blast which was his third of the weekend to tie the game at 1.
430 FOOT TANK 🚀@bearjones_3 | SECN+ pic.twitter.com/J2RVJfaLQZ
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) May 17, 2025
In the bottom of the 4th inning, the Gamecocks were able to gain their lead right back as Beau Hollins beat Eyanson with a solo blast to right field.
In the 5th inning, LSU was able to string together a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases for Jared Jones. The veteran first baseman grounded into a double play which tied the game at 2-2 but, Daniel Dickinson instantly picked up Jones with a 2-run blast to Left Field to give the Tigers a 4-2 lead.
Danny Dingers Strikes 💥@coopcoop_1 | SECN+ pic.twitter.com/BQUu5C3IRA
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) May 17, 2025
In the top of the 7th inning, Jake Brown tacked on an insurance run with a long solo home run to right field.
Hate to see ya geaux, love to watch ya leave@JakeBrown_14 | SECN+ pic.twitter.com/Gedf3dLQ34
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) May 17, 2025
After the early struggles, it was smooth sailing for Anthony Eyanson who gave the Tigers 7 innings allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5, bringing his ERA to a stellar 2.88 mark.
In the top of the 8th, LSU pushed the lead once again as Derek Curiel singled through the right side to bring home Chris Stanfield.
Derek comes up with the clutch 2-out RBI single!
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) May 17, 2025
📺 SECN+ pic.twitter.com/SjXv3AYY4v
In the bottom half of the inning, Jay Johnson turned the game over to his bullpen calling on Mavrick Rizy who did his job getting a ground out from the only batter he faced. Cooper Williams was called on next and after recording a strike out he allowed a solo home run making it 6-3 heading into the 9th inning.
In the 9th inning, the LSU offense worked to get the run right back for the pitching staff as Jake Brown doubled to right and stole 3rd base, allowing him to score on a Steven Milam single.
Cooper Williams was able to get the first out of the 9th inning before Jay Johnson turned to Chase Shores to close out the regular season. Shores worked around a walk he surrendered and pitched the Tigers to victory.
LSU needed to win this weekend series and were able to overcome a Thursday Night loss to clinch a Top 4 seed and a pair of byes into the SEC Tournament. For the LSU Baseball team, the season truly starts now as reaching the postseason as one of the best teams in the Country was the expectation and now the team will look to accomplish its goals.