LSU baseball comes up short, falls to Tennessee in SEC Baseball Tournament title game
LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson talks about "inflection points" in games all the time and how when his team wins more of those in a game than it loses, the outcome generally is positive.
In the bottom of the sixth inning of Sunday's 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament championship game, the Tigers faced the biggest one of the game when they loaded the bases after a walk that freshman Steven Milam drew. LSU trailed 3-1 and it needed a breakthrough.
On the next pitch to pinch hitter Ethan Frey, Tennessee catcher Cal Stark fired the ball down to first base, catching Milam leaning too far away from the bag, and he was picked off for the third out to thwart the threatening Tigers.
The Volunteers (50-11) padded their lead the next half inning and that run was the difference in the game as they went on to hold off LSU, 4-3, to capture the SEC Tournament title at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
LSU (40-21) will find out where it'll play in the NCAA Tournament during the NCAA Tournament Selection on Monday (11 a.m., ESPN2).
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Both teams were trying to patchwork their staffs to get through the SEC Tournament and make sure they were properly set up to take on NCAA regionals next weekend.
It was the Vols' pitching staff that got the better of what was a smoking-hot LSU lineup coming into the game. The Tigers sprayed 47 hits across four games that had been good enough for 43 total runs scored.
LSU couldn't replicate that success against Tennessee, which silenced its' bats to the tune of just five hits. After the third frame, the Tigers managed two hits, back-to-back doubles from senior designated hitter Hayden Travinski and Milam in the bottom of the ninth. LSU made plenty of contact but balls were hit directly at defenders.
Jared Jones continues to provide power for LSU baseball
The Tigers struck first in the game as sophomore Jared Jones smashed a solo home run that traveled 471 feet.
During the SEC Tournament, Jones hadn't been wildly consistent at the plate with only four hits. But all four of those hits were home runs, including a grand slam against Kentucky. His solo shot against Tennessee provided the Tigers their only run in the SEC title game.
Jones amassed eight RBIs in Hoover.
Nate Ackenhausen gives LSU baseball great start in championship game
Setting the table was going to vital for LSU pitcher Nate Ackenhausen in his start against Tennessee. The plan wasn't going to carry him any deeper than one trip through the Volunteers' lineup, as Johnson is wanting to set up his bullpen for NCAA regional play.
But the start Ackenhausen gave was efficient and nearly flawless. The senior left-hander struck out six of the nine batters he faced, all six of those going down swinging. In 2⅔ innings, he threw 48 pitches, which is a shade higher than the coaching staff was aiming for, but Ackenhausen tossed 36 strikes as Tennessee's lineup couldn't get a bead on him.
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Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU baseball drops SEC Baseball Tournament title game to Tennessee
