Stevan Milam and Josh Pearson each hit grand slams. Derek Curiel clubbed a three-run home run as the Tigers took advantage of wild pitching from West Virgina to take game one of the Super Regional Series 16-9.
Lineup change works again: For the second straight game, Coach Jay Johnson unveiled a unique lineup that the Tigers had not used this season. With LSU facing a left-handed pitcher, Johnson moved Curiel from the leadoff spot to the seventh spot in the lineup.
Curiel has not hit well against lefties, and the move paid off as the freshman left fielder got the Tigers on the board by hitting a three-run homer to give LSU a 3-1 lead in the fourth inning. Curiel finished with 5 RBIs.
Josh Pearson batted lead-off, and he hit the second of LSU’s two grand slams in the sixth inning to give the Tigers a 16-5 lead.
Stevan Milam’s Slam: Milam committed his first two errors since March 25t5, but his bat put this game out of reach in the fifth inning. Milam hit an opposite-field grand slam that just got over the wall in right field.
It was his only hit of the day, but he continues to produce in the postseason.
Last year, he hit a walk-off home run to beat South Carolina in the SEC Tournament last year and then a home run the following week to beat North Carolina in the Chapel Hill Regional.
The grand slam he hit on Saturday gave LSU a 7-1 lead. Milam is a career .237 hitter in the SEC, but he continues to come up big in the postseason.
In the Regional last week, Milam had five hits, five runs scored, and drove in three runs.
West Virginia’s walks: It was not an easy day to pitch with the real feel temperature around 105 degrees. And the Mountaineers hurlers struggled to throw strikes. They walked eight and hit five batters. Luis Hernandez and Daniel Dickinson were hit twice. The Tigers had eight hits, but scored 16 runs to capitalize on West Virginia’s wildness.
LSU Pitching: LSU left-hander Kade Anderson allowed a season-high seven runs, but again not an easy day to pitch. Not only did Anderson have to battle through the heat, but he also took a liner off his right arm, and had to wait out some long innings, when LSU’s hitters were taking walks and hitting home runs. Anderson still tossed seven innings to help save the bullpen.
Tough outing for William Schmidt, as the former Catholic High star continues to struggle in his freshman season. Schmidt came out of the bullpen in the eighth inning. He walked two and gave up a two-run homer in the 9th.
One more win to Omaha: LSU will send Anthony Eyanson to the mound for Game 2 of the Super Regional series as the Tigers look to win the series. West Virginia will counter with right-hander Jack Kartsonas. He’s 6-3 with a 2.94 ERA.
Since Karstonas is a right-hander, expect a different line-up for LSU tomorrow. Maybe Curiel moves back up to the top of the order after getting three hits on Saturday.
The game will start at 5 PM, so that will be beneficial to the players and the fans.
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