TIGERS SWEEP SUPER REGIONAL IN TWO GAMES; WILDCATS FINISH SEASON AT 40-21
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana — It’s taken them six years, six long years, but the LSU Tigers are back with college baseball’s elite.
The seventh-ranked Tigers, looking for their first berth in the College World Series since 2017, took care of business on Sunday evening with an 8-3 victory over the University of Kentucky before a paid crowd of 12,640 at LSU’s Alex Box Stadium/Skip Bertman Field.
After facing 6-foot-7 ace right-hander Paul Skenes on Saturday night, when LSU buried the Wildcats, 14-0, Kentucky gave a good account of itself until the dam broke in the top of the ninth inning. LSU scored three runs in that frame, putting the game out of reach before the Wildcats had a chance to take their cuts in the bottom of the ninth.
LSU earned its 48th victory of the season, against just 15 defeats. The Tigers will move on to the College World Series, which begins Saturday at Charles Schwab Park in downtown Omaha, Nebraska.
Kentucky finishes its seventh season under head coach Nick Mingoine with a 40-21 record. The Wildcats came out of the losers’ bracket to win their regional last week in Lexington.
FOR THE FIFTH TIME THIS SEASON.
An emotional Mingoine attended his final press conference of the season with UK senior right-hander Darren Williams, the third of seven pitchers Mingoine used against the offensive-minded Tigers.
“Congrats to LSU. They played great,” Mingoine said. “I’m proud of this group of men I’ve had in our program. They’re willing to do what it takes to win.
“These young men have changed our program forever.”
Kentucky was making just the second NCAA super regional appearance in school history. The Wildcats have never reached the promised land of the College World Series.
“The hardest part,” Mingoine said, “is that you don’t get to be around them any more.”
Mingoine praised the work of Jay Johnson, LSU’s second-year coach, as the Tigers continued to spray line drives around the ballpark, as well as a tape-measure home run from Cade Beloso, a three-run shot to right-center field that put the Tigahs in front 4-1 in the top of the third inning.
It was Beloso’s 14th home run of the season.
“It was an 0-2 heater, right down the middle,” Beloso said. “I put a pretty good swing on it … Momentum in the postseason is HUGE.”
OF DYLAN CREWS AND DH CADE BELOSO.
The Wildcats struck first, on leadoff man Jackson Gray’s home run to right-center field, which briefly put UK in front, 1-0.
LSU got that run back, however, when the bottom half of the Tigers’ lineup manufactured a single run to tie it at 1.
Beloso’s home run put LSU on the path to victory, and all Kentucky could muster the rest of the way were solo home runs from the Wildcats’ Devin Burkes and Nolan McCarthy.
The Wildcats stayed within striking distance over the next few innings, getting outstanding work from junior reliever Mason Moore (4 1/3 innings pitched, no runs, two hits, five strikeouts). But LSU wouldn’t surrender its two-run lead, and the Tigers exploded for three runs in the top of the ninth.
LSU left-hander Riley Cooper, who gave the Tigers three innings of scoreless relief, was the winning pitcher, improving to 4-3 on the season. UK starter Austin Strickland (4-2) took the loss for the Wildcats.
“I’m so proud of this team,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “I wanted these guys to experience this, so bad. They’re champions. I’m really excited to go to Omaha and chase a national championship with them.”
I’ll have a complete story on LSU’s victory on Monday morning. Thanks for reading.
UK’s CHASE STANKE TO END THE THIRD INNING.
LONGTIME LSU COACH SKIP BERTMAN AFTER THE GAME.