Tigers’ bats go cold again in loss to Sacramento State
Published 7:14 pm Saturday, March 7, 2026
Saturday’s Game
Sacramento State 5, LSU 4
Sunday’s Game
6 p.m. / SECN+ (streaming)
By Scooter Hobbs
American Press
Funny thing about baseball. You can’t put runs on layaway.
They don’t carry over, you can’t bank them.
So a day after scoring 15 runs in the first four innings of a mercy-rule win over Sacramento State, LSU on Saturday was scoreless for the first seven innings and lost to the Hornets 5-4.
Yes, the same Sacramento State that LSU beat 15-4 on Friday night.
And that Saturday final score might be bloated.
The Tigers (12-4) managed only one hit through seven innings and didn’t score until pushing across three runs in the eighth and one more in the ninth to make it interesting.
The two teams will wrap up the series Sunday at 6 p.m. The final game was originally scheduled for 1 p.m., but was moved back in anticipation of inclement weather.
The game got away from LSU in the top of the eighth when Sacramento State, which had been nursing a 1-0 lead since the second inning, loaded the bases with two outs on a single and two walks.
Jaden Noot relieved Devin Sheerin and Sacramento’s Cameron Sewell greeted him with a towering home run for a grand slam and a 5-0 lead for the Hornets.
“That was tough because we were in a pretty good spot right there to get out of that inning,” LSU head coach Jay Johnson said. “They get a couple good at-bats, and then they get the big swing by Sewell. So, they deserve to win today.”
Sewell also drove in Sacramento’s first run in the second inning with an RBI double, also with two outs.
“Credit Sacramento State,” Johnson said. “They played a good game today, pitched a really good game, and that’s kind of their hallmark as a program.”
LSU finished with only three hits, a season low.
But the Tigers got three back in the bottom of the eighth on Cade Yorke’s RBI double, followed by a wild pitch that scored Steven Milam.
LSU added another on a throwing error that scored Yorke.
LSU pinch hitter Daniel Harden led off the bottom of the ninth with towering home run.
One out later, Jake Brown and Milam walked to put the tying and go-ahead runs on base. But Yorke struck out and pinch hitter Seth Dardar flied out to deep left-center to end the game.
“We just didn’t get enough going offensively,” Johnson said.
*
Friday’s Game
LSU 15, Sacramento State 4
(7 innings)
Saturday’s Game
2 p.m. / SECN+ (streaming)
