Anderson pitches LSU past Hogs in CWS opener

American Press

15 hours ago

Photo by: Mitchell Scaglione
OMAHA, Neb. — Never mind that it's probably not the way you'd map out your opening game of the College World Series.
Who cares? Surely not LSU — winning means never having to say you're sorry, even when you're whiffing left and flailing right for much of the night.
But the Tigers, best known in Omaha for their Gorilla Ball days of yore, basically pitched and small-balled their way into the winners bracket with to a 4-1 victory over No 3 seed Arkansas. The Tigers will play again Monday against UCLA, which beat Murray State earlier Saturday.
'I've seen it before,' LSU head coach Jay Johnson said. 'I'm just proud of my team for fighting and finding a way to win.'
It defied some odds as LSU struck out 16 times against Arkansas, but the Tigers made efficient use of their rare opportunities and — the real key — got a gem of a mound performance from co-ace Kade Anderson.
'We did just enough,' Johnson said.
Maybe, kiddos, you wouldn't want to try it this way at home — LSU did that in early May in Baton Rouge when the Tigers struck out 15 times, their previous season-high, in a 7-4 loss to the Razorbacks.
But the way Anderson (11-1) was dealing, Saturday's meager offense — just six hits for the Tigers — was almost overkill.
'It's what we've been accustomed to on the opening night of every weekend this year,' Johnson said of Anderson, who allowed just the one run and three hits in seven-plus innings. 'I thought he got stronger as the game went along.
'I thought he executed pitches a really high level … against that offense.'
'Really it boiled down to Anderson,' Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. 'He didn't give us anything. He's 11-1 because he's really good.'
Anderson left after giving up a lead-off single in the eighth, but Chase Shores got the final three outs there and Casen Evans got the last three outs in the ninth after giving up a leadoff single.
Anderson wasn't happy with his previous performance in the super regional last week when he wasn't as sharp in the Tigers' 16-9 win over West Virginia.
Saturday on the big stage was one of his best as he held the SEC's best hitting team to only the one run — a solo home run by Reese Robinette in the sixth.
'It doesn't matter (how) the stats lines up,' Anderson said. 'But we won the game and that's really all I care about.'
Arkansas pitching was pretty good, too.
But LSU chased starer Zach Root with two outs in the second without hitting the Arkansas ace hard.
The Tigers loaded the bases with one out in the second on a pair of walks and Daniel Dickinson's bunt single.
Chris Stanfield drove in the game's first run with a soft single to left, followed by Michael Braswell getting hit by a pitch with the bases still loaded.
Josh Pearson then beat the rap on his ground ball to avoid an attempted double-play relay to get the inning's final run in for an early 3-0 lead.
The Tigers were stymied by Arkansas relief ace Gabe Gaeckle, but got a little breathing room in the eighth when Steven Milan hustled out a one-out double and Derek Curiel got him home with a 2-out, RBI single on an 0-2 count.
'That was huge,' Johnson said of the way the Tigers took advantage of their few scoring opportunities.'
'We did a good job of that tonight. When you're facing those caliber arms, you're not going to get a ton (of chances) like you would playing in SEC ballparks where the home run is always real.
'We got ourselves in position (for the final run), great base running play by Steven. Just a little bit of bobble in the outfield to get (him) to second base right there. And (Cutriel) was born to hit. And he stayed on the ball and did what he does.'
But the story was Anderson.
'He's got tremendous stuff,' Johnson said. 'It's four pitches for strikes. He's never boxed into having to throw a certain way … He's got a plan for any type of hitter … I thought he just executed. He's such a tremendous competitor.'
Van Horn agreed from his view in the Arkansas dugout.
He really just doesn't leave the ball over the middle of the plate,' the Razorback coach said. 'Even his misses are close … Changes speeds just enough.
'The first time we faced him (a 4-3 victory in May), he struck us out more, but we hit him harder. When we did hit it, we hit it hard, and we scored some runs on him.
'Tonight, when we hit it, we didn't hit it real hard most of the time. He's a really good pitcher.'
HISTORY: LSU's 20th appearance in the CWS, all in the last 40 years, in the most by any team in that span.
THIRD TIME: It was the third time LSU and Arkansas have played in the CWS. LSU is now 3-0 against the Omahogs, having won the first two during the Tigers' 2009 run to the national championship. It was LSU's third win in four tries against Arkansas this season as they took two of three in Baton Rouge in early May.
EQUIPMENT DELAY: The game was halted in top of the fifth for several minutes when Arkansas reliever Gabe Gaeckle broke a shoe lace. He had to go to the dugout to get it repaired.