SUNDAY’S GAME: LSU 12, Tennessee 2 (8 innings)

 

LSU got its second walk-off victory of the weekend Sunday against Tennessee, but this one only shortened the inevitable.

Catcher Luis Hernandez’ 2-run double in the bottom of the eighth— which was inches from clearing the fence — scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth and gave the Tigers a 12-2 run-rule victory over the Vols.

It was the last of LSU’s 13 hits — eight for extra bases, including three home runs — as the Tigers claimed the Southeastern Conference series two games to one.

“To have our team play like that in a game that important, … how they played was outstanding.” LSU coach Jay Johnson said.

“I thought we played in our best character — loose, free, confident, aggressive, with a good plan.”

The win over the sixth-ranked Vols left the No. 7 Tigers (35-9, 14-7 in the SEC), tied with Arkansas for second place in the league behind Texas. Tennessee fell to 35-9, 13-8.

LSU, which won the Friday opener 6-3 on Jared Jones’ walk off 3-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, bounced back from Saturday’s 9-3 loss in a big way.

It started on the mound.

LSU has struggled to find a Sunday starting pitcher, but used its two best relief pitchers for the entire game this time. Casan Evans (3-0) got his first career start and Zac Cowan threw the final two innings.

Evans settled in after giving up two runs and four of the six hits he allowed in the first inning.

The Vols didn’t score again as Evans held them to two more hits and struck out six in his six innings of work and Cowan pitched the final two innings, allowing one hit with two strike outs.

The duo combined for just one free  after the Tigers’ staff allowed eight  walks and hit three batters in Saturday’s loss.

Derek Curiel led the offense, with his own bounce back from having his season-long on-base streak snapped on Saturday.

He led off the bottom of first touching all the bases on a line drive home run and finished 4-for-4 with five RBIs after also getting two doubles and a single with a walk.

Jake Brown gave LSU the lead for good with a towering 3-run homer in the second that cleared the right field bleachers.

Michael Braswell, who scored three times, added a solo shot in the fifth. It was the second homer  in two games for Braswell, who had none heading into the weekend.

“Just call Jay Johnson the least surprised person in the park that that’s kind of game that (Curiel) had today,” Johnson said.

“That’s one of the best games I’ve ever had a player play. It’s what he does. The guy was born to born to play baseball, born to hit, born to get on base, born to be a winner.”