#1 in the Nation for a Reason
I'll be honest, after the beat down we received Friday, I thought we were going to have a long weekend ahead of us filled with heartbreak. It was anything but that. As far as Friday goes, the pitching in regulation was superb. Paul Skenes did Paul Skenes things pitching 7 full innings allowing 1 run, only his second on the year, keeping his ERA sub-1.00, and punching out a dozen Razorbacks. Chase Shores also wasn't abysmal, giving up 1 run in 2 innings of work, it was Christian Little that shocked me in extra innings. The Vandy transfer was tagged with 4 earned runs only recording a single out. And then Will Hellmers gives up 3 over 0.2. But it should not have even gotten to this point. In regulation, LSU had more than twice as many hits than Arkansas, but only had a single run to show for it. Two base running mistakes and a lot of bad hitting with runners on cursed LSU. The worst base running mistake was made by the third base coach hesitantly send Tre Morgan home on a wild pitch. There must have been a miscommunication on the play because Tre stuttered on the send and he was hung out to dry. The inconsistent strike zone didn't help either, although that was a problem all three games. I wasn't sure if our hitting was lacking or if the opposing pitching was just that elite, but that was quickly put to bed the next 24 or so hours.
The next morning started out the same way it ended the afternoon prior. Arkansas came out swinging scoring 2 runs off a homerun in the first inning and we were quickly down 2-0 after the first full inning. However, that would be the only runs Arkansas would score the rest of the game. LSU must have taken it personally because they scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 2nd. It was just hit after hit. JT scores Pearson on a double to make it 2-1, then Dugas homers to drive in JT and take the lead 3-2, and finally Tre Morgan finishes it with a solo shot of his own for his second dinger of the season which makes it 4-2. The Tigers would go one to score 8 more runs the next 5 innings, 10 run ruling them. With all the hitting that was going on, it's easy to forget the dominant performance from Ty Floyd. Once he gave up that homerun in the first, it was smooth sailing for the rest of his day, going 6.1 innings (a quality start) striking out 7. His ERA is now at a very solid 2.05. The Tigers and Razorbacks would be set to play the rubber match in approximately 2 and a half hours.
For the series finale, the student section was so full, those who came late (including yours truly) were directed to standing room only along the first base line. I would have loved to experience the game in the Diamond Deck with my fellow students, but I have to admit, the view was immaculate. Shoutout to John who kept me company during the game. This game was probably the most fun game of the series because game 2, it was all LSU after the first inning, whereas this game was tight for at least the first 3 or 4 frames. After Wegner of Arkansas and Crews exchanging homeruns, the game was all knotted up after 1 full. The second inning was scoreless by both teams, but the third saw some back and forth RBI. Although utterly dominating the #5 team in the nation is fun, it was this back and forth that made this game so fun. Tommy White was in a bit of slump coming into game 3, so he was due and boy was he. He hit not 1, but 2 homeruns in game 3 alone. Griffin Herring relieved Thatcher Hurd after 2 allowing 4 runs, all earned. Herring was pretty solid only allowing 1 run over 2 full innings. But it was Garrett Edwards who really impressed me tossing FOUR dominant innings in relief, not allowing a single run, and sitting down a half a dozen pigs. Riley Cooper would finish the game in the 9th pitching a clean inning only allowing a single hit and no walks.
A few stats from this series:
Dylan Crews went 8-for-13 (.615) with 3 Crews Missiles. He is now slashing an outrageous .531/.658/.988 for a 1.645 OPS. His OBP is the best in Division I.
Tre Morgan went 5-for-13 (.385) with a homer. He now has a .431 OBP.
Cade Beloso went 4-for-7 (.571). He is now slashing .522/.600/.870 for a 1.470 OPS. I'm not sure if he's not 100% healthy, but if he is, I would love to see him get more playing time.
Jordan Thompson went 4-for-8 (.500) in the last two games. He now has a .430 OBP.
Garrett Edwards pitched 4.2 innings not allowing a single run, only allowing 3 base runners for a 0.64 WHIP. He also amassed 8 Ks and only 1 walk good for a 15.42 K/9 and an 8.0 K/BB. His ERA is now at 0.87 and a WHIP at 0.72.
