Alabama Baseball Comes up Short in 5-2 Loss to 14th-Ranked LSU
Alabama baseball came up short against 14th-ranked LSU by a score of 5-2 on Saturday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The loss in game two evened the series up and moved the Crimson Tide to 26-18 overall, 5-15 in Southeastern Conference play.
“Well, as pleased as I was with the way we played yesterday, I am just as agitated, frustrated and disappointed in our guys for how we played today,” said Alabama head coach Brad Bohannon. “We just didn’t pitch, hit or defend well enough to beat a team like LSU. The good thing is that we have a lot of really good pitching available for tomorrow’s game, and we’ve gotten double-digit hits in back-to-back days. We need to pitch better, field better and hit better tomorrow, if we want to win the series.”
The Crimson Tide recorded double-digit hits for a second consecutive day but could only push across two runs with 10 left stranded. LSU totaled nine hits, including a three-run home run in the fourth that proved the difference. Originally called foul, a review of the long drive was overturned to a home run and put the visitors in front by what would prove the difference in a 5-2 game.
LSU starter Eric Walker (4-3) picked up the win thanks to 5.2 innings of one-run baseball. The sophomore allowed five hits and three walks while striking out a career-high nine batters. Tiger reliever Dylan Fontenot (5) collected his fifth save of the season with 1.1 scoreless frames to close out the day. Redshirt junior Brock Love (4-4) suffered the loss in the start for Alabama.
Senior Keith Holcombe began the day’s scoring with a solo home run in the first at-bat for the Crimson Tide, but The Tigers evened things up in the third with a run of their own. Then, in the fourth, the three-run home run provided LSU with a 4-1 advantage. The Tigers added one more in the top of the fifth for a four-run lead through five innings.
Alabama was able to cut into the lead with one run in the bottom of the seventh. Holcombe started things with a one-out single and another single followed to put the senior in scoring position. A flyout to right moved Holcombe up to third before a single to left-center from sophomore Tyler Gentry crossed one for the Crimson Tide, making it a 5-2 affair headed to the final two frames. Alabama reached the leadoff man in the eighth, but a double play ended the threat with UA going in order in the ninth to give LSU the game-two victory.
Sunday’s matchup between the Tide and Tigers will decide the series. First pitch at The Joe is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT with Alabama sending graduate right-hander Jeremy Randolph to the hill while LSU calls on freshman Landon Marceaux, also a righty, in the rubber match. Fans can catch the series finale live on SEC Network+.
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