How it happened: Freshman left fielder Derek Curiel went 4-for-4 with 5 RBIs, a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, as LSU defeated Tennessee 12-2 in eight innings to win the series. Freshman Casan Evans (3-0) made his first start and after giving up two runs in the first inning, settled down and pitched six strong innings for the win.
Magic Moment: Tennessee scored two runs off Evans in the first inning. But Curiel responded with a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the first inning.
LSU scored four in the second inning. Curiel doubled home Luis Hernandez, who hit a one-out triple.
The big hit came off the bat of sophomore right fielder Jake Brown, batting third in the order for the first time this season, he blasted a three-run homer over the right field wall to give LSU a 5-2 lead.
Curiel’s career day: For the first time this season, Curiel did not reach base in Saturday night’s loss. Curiel emphatically started a new streak on Sunday with a season-high four hits. His home run in the first inning was the perfect response to Tennessee scoring two runs in the top of the first inning.
Curiel drove in a season-high five runs. His two-run double in the fifth inning put the game away as LSU took an 8-2 lead.
Coach Jay Johnson said it was one of the best games he’s seen from a position player and was not surprised to see him bounce back from a hitless performance on Saturday.
Great Sunday start from Evans: Johnson’s decision not to use Evans in the first two games of the series allowed him to start the freshman right-hander, and he delivered with his longest outing of the season. Evans went six innings, allowed six hits, two runs, and six strikeouts.
It will be interesting to see what Johnson does with Evans the rest of the season. He’s also a valuable arm for the bullpen, but he showed he can also be a starter. Maybe Evans will only start him in game 3, if he doesn’t need him in game 1 or 2.
Bats broke out: LSU had just ten hits in the first two games of the series, but had 13 hits on Sunday against eight different Tennessee pitchers. Michael Braswell hit a home run, the second in as many games. Luis Hernandez broke out of a slump with a 2-for-4 performance. His two-run double off the top of the left field wall ended the game in the 8th inning.
What’s next: There was a lot of angst from LSU fans after the Tigers were shut out for eight innings in game one, but still won. And on Saturday, LSU gave up six runs in the eighth inning in a loss to Tennessee. But in the end, LSU won the series to improve to 14-7 in the SEC.
The Tigers are now tied with Arkansas for second place in the league standings.
LSU will host a good Southeastern Louisiana team on Tuesday, and then it’s off to College Station for a three-game series against Texas A&M, Friday through Sunday.
Comments