FRIDAY’S GAME: LSU 8, Texas 2

SATURDAY’S GAME: 6 p.m. / ESPN+

 

LSU is the last SEC team unbeaten in conference play and alone in first place in the league.

Starter Kade Anderson gave the No. 2-ranked Tigers six strong innings and they broke up a close game with four runs in the seventh inning to beat No. 8 Texas 8-2 in the opening game of the Southeastern Conference series.

LSU (22-1, 4-0 SEC) won its 17th straight, the nation’s longest streak and the Tigers’ longest since the 2017 team also won 17 in a row.

The Longhorns fell to 17-3, 3-1.

“It was a good game between two great teams in a great environment,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “I thought our offense did a good jog early in the game competing and then we able to bust it open in the seventh.”

Catcher Luis Hernandez went 3-for-4 and gave the Tigers the lead for good with his 2-run homer in the fourth inning and had an RBI single the following inning that gave LSU a 4-1 lead.

Anderson (5-0) struck out eight in his six innings, giving up and RBI single in the third and a solo home run to Rylan Galvin in the sixth.

Zac Cowan held the Longhorns scoreless over the final three innings with three strike outs.

The two Tiger pitchers combined to strike out 11 on the night without allowing a walk.

“Kade and Zac both did a great job of pounding the zone with all of their pitches,” Johnson said. “They’re hard to deal with because they change speeds so well and they locate. They really know what they’re doing, and they both did a great job tonight.”

Alabama, which knocked No. 1 Tennessee from the SEC unbeaten ranks Thursday, lost to the Vols on Friday, knotting that series at a game apiece and leaving LSU alone at the top of the standings.

LSU had 12 hits and stranded 13 runners, but all but put the game away in the seventh.

Hernandez one-out single in the inning put runners at the corners with one out and Steven Milam scored on Michael Braswell’s bunt single.

Chris Stanfield then doubled home Hernandez and, one batter later, Jared Jones had an 2-run single to complete the big inning.

LSU will look to clinch the series Saturday at 6 p.m. with righthander Anthony Eyanson (3-0, 3.90) pitching against lefthander Luke Harrison (2-0, 2.08).