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EspañolThe LSU Tigers dropped their second game in the last seven days on Monday night against the Northeastern Huskies by a score of 13-10.
The Tigers now drop to 11-2 on the year. A loss to the now 3-7 Huskies should be a bit of a wake-up call. The score made it seem like it was a closer game than it was.
This game got out of hand quickly for the Tigers, as back-to-back crooked innings gave Northeastern a 10-0 lead by the end of the third frame.
The way that LSU had been swinging the bat, they desperately needed a bounce-back game. They did not receive it. Jay Johnson will certainly not be happy about this series-long slump by Tigers hitters.
It is a small sample size, and sometimes baseball is just like that, but scoring just 11 runs in three games against Northeastern and the Dartmouth Big Green, then dropping this game, after losing to the McNeese St. Cowboys in the same week, is concerning.
There is just one more weekend series to go before SEC play begins, and LSU travels to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. They need their bats and arms to get on the same page.
At one point this season, the Tigers had the best offense in the conference while having the worst team ERA. Now, after the pitching went very smoothly through the first three games of the weekend, the bats disappeared.
Then, the hitting woke up in this game as Johnson went to the bench. By the end of the game, there were no starters in and the team looked as alive as they have in a week.
Edward Yamin IV hit the first home run of his LSU career after transferring in from Dayton and redshirting last year. A glimpse of the player that the Tigers thought he could be in their lineup.
Highly touted freshman Ethan Clauss logged the first hit of his career, a triple, and he was driven in by Jack Ruckert, who was the No. 1 high school player in Louisiana last year. Ruckert is now 3-for-7, with a double and a walk without striking out.
Perhaps this game will serve as a reminder and some motivation for the starting lineup out there. This is a school with a ton of talent just waiting for the opportunity.
Over on the mound, DJ Primeaux had a promising bounce-back outing. He pitched a mostly clean inning, striking out two and walking one. It should build a bit of confidence, given how the Huskies were seeing the ball.
Zac Cowan underperformed, going just 1.2 and giving up five hits and four runs. A massively talented pitcher who will play a large role for the Tigers this season, but he has not had the start to the season that he has wanted.
LSU will travel to take on the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns for its midweek game this week, taking place this Wednesday at 6 pm CT. Their next weekend series will be against the Sacramento State Hornets.