Offensive Woes Continue for No. 12 LSU Baseball, Drop Game One to Eastern Kentucky 2-0
LSU coach Paul Mainieri said Thursday the new lineup would sacrifice offense for better defense but Friday's performance probably wasn't what Mainieri had in mind. The Tigers put together just two hits and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position, dropping game one to Eastern Kentucky 2-0.
It's the first time LSU has been shut out at Alex Box since McNeese State did it last season in late March.
"We were just baffled tonight, couldn't get anything going," Mainieri said. "We didn't pitch well enough, we didn't hit well enough and we didn't coach well enough. This is very concerning, we want to win every game we play and we're not playing nearly well enough to win these last couple of games. Tomorrow is a new day and hopefully we can play a bit better."
For two innings Friday night, LSU starter Cole Henry looked like he was well underway to cruising through a second consecutive outing. He retired the first six batters he faced and was sitting pretty with just 21 pitches thrown.
From the third inning on, LSU's ace struggled with command, walking three batters over the next three innings and at the same time driving his pitch count all the way up to 87. Eastern Kentucky would scores runs in the third and fifth innings and take a 2-0 lead.
Henry said after the second inning he thought the temperature got in his head a bit, which effected his grip and command of the ball
"I think I kind of lost a little bit of focus, honestly it was freezing out here," Henry said. "It's tough conditions to play baseball in so I just tried to battle in those later innings and help my teammates anyway possible."
Henry's night would end after the fifth for reliever Jaden Hill, who Mainieri said was hoping to get 45 pitches or three innings after initially throwing two scoreless innings last weekend.
It was also the second straight week where Hill was inserted as the LSU offense was desperately trying to find a spark. Hill pitched a dominant sixth inning, but like Henry, command was an issue the rest of the way.
Hill went another inning and two thirds, striking out five and walking three but was replaced by Matthew Beck after he reached his pitch count limit. In total, the pitchers threw 153 pitches with seven walks and nine strikeouts.
Henry said after the game the fact the staff threw that many pitches and still limited the Colonels to just two runs is probably the only positive the team can take away from Friday night's performance.
"We knew coming into the season we were going to be a great pitching staff and I think we're going to prove that throughout the season," Henry said. "We can't control anything we do offensively but this is a team game and we're going to help out the hitters as much as we can by limiting the amount of runs scored."
The Tigers didn't put a runner on base until the fourth inning and couldn't convert when they were finally able to get runners on.
The biggest threat LSU made in the game came in the fifth as a single and two walks loaded the bases with just one out in the inning. The threat would prove ineffective as a strikeout from Hal Hughes followed by a popout from leadoff man Cade Doughty left the Alex Box faithful thoroughly discouraged.
When Alex Milazzo and Daniel Cabrera own the best hitting performances of the night that were basically just two walks a piece, it hints to the poor offensive showing. Through seven innings, the only hit LSU accumulated was a single from Cade Beloso in the fifth.
With the top of the order due up in the eighth LSU couldn't muster much of any offense. Catcher Saul Garza was able to connect with the team's second hit of the night but couldn't capitalize as the Tigers went 1-for-15 with runners on base for the evening.
The Tigers will be back in action Saturday at 3 p.m. looking to break out of their offensive rut.