{"id":9937,"date":"2025-05-01T12:52:03","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T12:52:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asport.com.ng\/?p=9937"},"modified":"2025-05-01T12:52:03","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T12:52:03","slug":"tigers-win-no-7-lsu-takes-the-series-against-no-6-tennessee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asport.com.ng\/?p=9937","title":{"rendered":"TIGERS WIN! No. 7 LSU takes the series against No. 6 Tennessee!"},"content":{"rendered":"

TIGERS WIN! No. 7 LSU Takes the Series Against No. 6 Tennessee in Statement Weekend Victory<\/strong><\/h1>\n

BATON ROUGE, La. \u2014 April 30, 2025<\/em> \u2014 The crowd roared, the dugout emptied, and the \u201cGeaux Tigers!\u201d chants echoed from Alex Box Stadium all the way down Nicholson Drive. With a dominant performance over the weekend, the No. 7 LSU Tigers secured a crucial SEC series victory over No. 6 Tennessee, sending a clear message to the rest of college baseball: LSU is peaking at the right time.<\/p>\n

After an early-season stretch filled with inconsistency and injuries, Jay Johnson\u2019s squad found its identity when it mattered most. Powered by electric pitching, timely hitting, and a home-field advantage that felt more like a postseason cauldron, the Tigers won two of three games against a Volunteer team that had been among the hottest in the nation.<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s opener set the tone for the weekend. In a game that featured three lead changes and eight home runs, LSU outlasted Tennessee 9-7 behind big nights from junior slugger Jared Jones and freshman sensation Bryce Underwood.<\/p>\n

Jones crushed a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning after Tennessee had taken a brief 6-5 lead. The blast sent the LSU faithful into a frenzy and gave the bullpen enough cushion to close it out.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery win counts in the SEC, but beating Tennessee at home like this? That\u2019s big,\u201d Jones said after the game. \u201cWe\u2019ve been building to this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Tigers’ bullpen, a sore spot earlier in the year, showed resolve. Nate Ackenhausen and Griffin Herring combined for 2.2 scoreless innings, sealing the victory with back-to-back strikeouts in the ninth.<\/p>\n

Saturday was Tennessee\u2019s turn. The Volunteers displayed why they came into Baton Rouge with one of the nation\u2019s best records and most dangerous lineups. Ace pitcher Drew Beam was in full control, allowing just two earned runs over seven innings while striking out nine.<\/p>\n

On offense, Christian Moore homered twice and drove in four runs as Tennessee took Game 2 with a decisive 8-3 win.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to sweep anyone in this league,\u201d Jay Johnson said afterward. \u201cThey responded like a top team, and we didn\u2019t match their intensity. But I loved how our guys came out of that game \u2014 they were already hungry to finish strong on Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sunday’s rubber match was more than just a regular-season game. With national seeding implications and momentum on the line, LSU played like a team with Omaha dreams in mind.<\/p>\n

Sophomore lefty Gage Jump delivered his best outing of the year, striking out 10 batters over six scoreless innings while allowing only three hits. His fastball had late life, his changeup baffled Tennessee hitters, and his mound presence was calm and commanding.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been working all year for a start like this,\u201d Jump said. \u201cEverything clicked today. I knew if I gave our offense a chance, they\u2019d do their thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

They did. LSU\u2019s bats came alive early, jumping on Tennessee starter AJ Russell for four runs in the first two innings. Gavin Guidry opened the scoring with an RBI double off the wall in left-center, and two batters later, Paxton Kling launched a two-run homer into the left field bleachers.<\/p>\n

The Tigers added insurance runs in the sixth and eighth, eventually winning 6-2 and clinching the series in front of a sold-out Sunday crowd.<\/p>\n

Jay Johnson, now in his fourth season at LSU, has faced immense pressure since taking over the program in 2021. After leading the Tigers to a national championship in 2023, expectations soared. But this year\u2019s team entered the series against Tennessee with something to prove.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis weekend, we played LSU baseball,\u201d Johnson said in the postgame press conference. \u201cPitching. Defense. Tough at-bats. We weren\u2019t perfect, but we were relentless.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also pointed out the growth of his younger players \u2014 Underwood, Kling, and shortstop Michael Braswell \u2014 all of whom made key contributions throughout the series. \u201cThese guys aren\u2019t just the future,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThey\u2019re the present.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps the biggest story of the series was the play of Bryce Underwood. The true freshman, who spurned a professional contract to play in Baton Rouge, looked like a seasoned veteran. Over the three-game set, he went 6-for-11 with two doubles, a home run, and five RBIs.<\/p>\n

Scouts are already buzzing about his combination of plate discipline, raw power, and poise in high-pressure moments.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t see many 18-year-olds control at-bats the way Bryce does,\u201d said SEC Network analyst Ben McDonald, himself a former LSU star. \u201cThis kid\u2019s going to be a superstar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the series loss, Tennessee\u2019s season is far from derailed. The Vols remain firmly in the mix for a top-eight national seed and will be dangerous come tournament time. Head coach Tony Vitello praised LSU’s execution but remained upbeat about his team.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t play our cleanest baseball today, but credit to LSU \u2014 they earned it,\u201d Vitello said. \u201cWe\u2019ll learn from this. This group\u2019s resilient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moore and Blake Burke continued to rake for the Volunteers, and Beam\u2019s performance on Saturday was a reminder of the team\u2019s elite starting pitching depth.<\/p>\n

This series win does more than bump LSU up the rankings. It reshapes the national perception of the Tigers \u2014 from an underachieving squad struggling for consistency to a team that may have rediscovered its championship pedigree.<\/p>\n

Beating a top-10 opponent like Tennessee positions LSU well for SEC Tournament seeding and boosts its chances of hosting a regional \u2014 possibly even a super regional \u2014 depending on how the final weeks of the season unfold.<\/p>\n

More importantly, the Tigers are gelling. The bullpen is stabilizing. The lineup is deep. And Jay Johnson seems to have struck the right tone in the clubhouse.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like we\u2019re finally playing for each other,\u201d said Braswell. \u201cWe\u2019re trusting our training, trusting our coaches, and believing in the guy next to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Much of that energy came from the crowd. Alex Box Stadium was a fortress all weekend. Attendance topped 11,000 each day, and the Sunday decider had an almost postseason vibe.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve played in some crazy environments,\u201d Jump said, \u201cbut this one today? Unbelievable. It felt like Omaha.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fans brought signs, face paint, and endless chants. LSU\u2019s famous \u201cneck\u201d chant made an appearance more than once, and every home run was followed by waves of purple-and-gold delirium.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s just nothing like baseball at the Box,\u201d Jay Johnson said. \u201cIt\u2019s a weapon. It really is.\u201d<\/p>\n

With just three SEC series left in the regular season, LSU\u2019s schedule doesn\u2019t get any easier. The Tigers face road matchups at Arkansas and Texas A&M and host Florida in what could be a top-10 showdown to end the season.<\/p>\n

Tennessee, meanwhile, returns to Knoxville for matchups against Vanderbilt and South Carolina before finishing at Georgia. The race for SEC supremacy \u2014 and top national seeds \u2014 remains wide open.<\/p>\n

But if this weekend proved anything, it\u2019s that LSU isn\u2019t just in the race. The Tigers are sprinting.<\/p>\n

This was more than a series win. It was a statement.<\/p>\n

For LSU fans, it was a reminder of why they show up early and stay late. For Jay Johnson, it was confirmation that his team is coming together at the right time. And for the rest of college baseball, it was a warning.<\/p>\n

The Tigers are back \u2014 and they\u2019re hungry.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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