BATON ROUGE, La. — Tennessee was three outs away from playing strong baseball to win a Friday night pitcher’s duel at LSU. The disaster struck in the ninth inning with two errors leading to six unearned runs and a 6-3 Tigers victory.
Here’s notes on the pitcher’s duel and the ninth inning debacle at Alex Box Stadium.
A Brutal Ninth Inning Collapse
After scoring an insurance run each in the eighth and ninth inning, Tennessee entered the bottom of the ninth with a three-run lead and top reliever Nate Snead on the mound. That’s when the collapse ensued.
The Vols had played a clean game to that point but a pair of Dean Curley errors, first a throwing and then a fielding, to give LSU runners on first and second with one-out. A walk loaded the bases and Dalton Beck cut the lead to one run with a single up the middle.
Snead got a second out on a lazy fly ball to left and was a strike away from getting out of the jam before Derek Curiel tied the game with a single to right field.
Then LSU superstar Jared Jones hit one all the way to Tiger Stadium to give the Tigers a 6-3 comeback victory.
Kade Anderson Gets In A Groove After Exiting Early Jam
The back of Tennessee’s lineup was horrible last weekend in its series loss against Kentucky. But the first time through the order, that group provided life. Ariel Antigua, who entered the game hitting under the Mendoza Line, took an 0-2 pitch to right field for a two-out single in the second inning.
When Jay Abernathy followed it up by walking on four pitches, Tennessee had the bases loaded for leadoff hitter Dean Curley and a major early game opportunity. Curley was the only Vol to reach in the first inning but failed to capitalize in the second inning, chopping into a 6-4 fielder’s choice to end the inning.
Anderson made the Vols pay for not taking advantage of their early opportunity. Curley was the first of 10 straight Tennessee batters that the lefty retired as Anderson retired Tennessee’s lineup in order the second time through. He struck out four of them in the process.
Tennessee did its only damage off of Anderson in the sixth inning when Gavin Kilen won a long battle with a shift beating single to left field. The lefty ace made his biggest mistake of the night on an ensuing wild pitch before Andrew Fischer drove Kilen home with a single to centerfield.
Those two at-bats were all the more impressive given how badly Anderson made Tennessee’s left-handed batters look. He recorded eight of his 11 strikeouts against Volunteer lefties while allowing just two earned runs in 7.1 innings pitched.
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Doyle Holds Up His End Of The Pitcher’s Duel
Tennessee ace Liam Doyle has been as good as any SEC pitcher to this point in the season. It was a shaky first batter of the night for Doyle when he walked LSU leadoff man Derek Curiel on four pitches that weren’t close to the zone.
But from there, Doyle was dominant like he’s been in recent weeks and most of the season. He got out of the first inning trouble with a strikeout, groundout and strikeout. LSU wouldn’t get another runner in-scoring position until the sixth inning when Jared Jones singled and stole second with two outs.
Jones’ seventh inning single was LSU’s first hit off of Doyle all night. It was the only hit the Tigers recorded against him all night as he allowed just four baserunners in 6.2 scoreless innings pitched.
The left-handed flamethrower didn’t have his gaudy strikeout numbers, finishing with six strikeouts and tying his season low. But that previous season low came in a 4.2 inning outing. His ability to be hyper productive without racking up strikeouts further illustrates his growth.
Tennessee Manufactures Two Late Insurance Runs
Tennessee’s offense has been a bit one dimensional at times this season but they did a great job of manufacturing an eighth inning insurance run. Andrew Fischer barely legged out a double to right field which gave the Vols a runner in-scoring position with one out and ended Anderson’s day.
Fischer then had a great read on a Zac Cowan ball in the dirt, swiping third base. With the insurance run 90 feet from home, LSU brought the infield in. Hunter Ensley took advantage, chopping one just over second baseman Daniel Dickinson’s head for a RBI single.
Tennessee added one more insurance run in the top of the ninth inning when Brayden Sharp pinch ran for Levi Clark after the freshman worked a one-out walk. Sharp stole second and Kilen drove the pinch runner home with a double in the left-center gap.
Box Score
Up Next
Tennessee and LSU resume their weekend series at 8 p.m. ET. The Vols are looking to end a three-game losing streak with Marcus Phillips on the mound in game two of weekend series. ESPNU is broadcasting the game.
