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USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
When does LSU baseball begin the College World Series final?
When does LSU baseball begin the College World Series final? LSU baseball punched its ticket to the College World Series finals on Wednesday with a walk-off win over Arkansas. Jared Jones' RBI single plated Luis Hernandez in the bottom of the ninth, sending the Tigers into celebration. They came into the inning down by two, but Hernandez tied the game with one swing of the bat and two outs. He doubled to left field and then made his way around to end the game. For the second time under head coach Jay Johnson, the Tigers extended their stay in Omaha and face a familiar opponent. The best-of-three series against Coastal Carolina begins Saturday at 6 p.m. CT from Charles Schwab Stadium. The Chanticleers advanced via an 11-3 victory over Louisville on Wednesday. They ride a 26-game win streak into the contest, which includes two wins over Auburn in the super regional. Coastal Carolina outscored its opponents 24-9 in the College World Series. Luckily for the Tigers, ace pitchers Kade Anderson and Anthony Eyanson to start games one and two, respectively. Top reliever Casan Evans will be available as well following a start in the postponed game on Tuesday against UCLA.
American Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- American Press
LSU headed to CWS finals after crazy walk-off rally beats Hogs
Luis Hernandez motions to teammates after his 2-run double tied the gaeme and set the stage for LSU's walk-off victory. Special to the American Press / Mitchell Scaglione OMAHA, Neb. — LSU's Geauxmaha Magic is alive and well in the College World Series. But this latest was as unlikely as any of the Tigers' past antics here — maybe even a touch of some of that Louisiana voodoo come north for June again. The Tigers scored three in the bottom of the ninth, using a freakish 2-run double by Luis Hernandez, followed by a game-winning RBI single by Jared Jones that tipped just off the top of a leaping second baseman's glove for a walk-off 6-5 victory over Arkansas. So the Tigers (51-15) are geauxing to the three-game CWS championship round, beginning Saturday when they'll face Coastal Carolina, which punched its ticket with a far-more routine 11-3 win over Louisville earlier Wednesday. It's the second straight Omaha trip where LSU has walked-off into the finals. Two years ago it was Tommy White's 11th-inning home run to beat Wake Forest that sent the Tigers to the finals, where they beat Florida two of three for their seventh national championship. Pretty cut and dry on that one, actually. This time all three ninth-inning runs scored with two outs — in fact, five of the Tigers' six runs came with two outs, as have 10 of the 15 over the last two games. The third out looked to be there for Arkansas' taking when Hernandez hit a sharp and twisting liner to leftfield, but just before it arrived Charles Davalan slipped, with the ball bouncing off his shoulder into the corner. 'He didn't grab it, I started running,' Hernandez said. So did Steven Milam and Ethan Frey to easily circle the bases from second and first to tie the game at 5-5. That brought up Jared Jones, whose eighth-inning game-tying homer looked for naught when the Razorbacks scored two runs in the top of the ninth. He lined one the opposite way that Arkansas second baseman Cam Kozeal leaped as high as he could for, but it tipped off the very tip top of his glove and dribbled into centerfield. 'I thought he had caught, honestly, because it fell behind him,' Jones said. 'But once I saw it hit the grass, I just blacked out in the moment.' 'I was watching Hernandez chugging around third,' said LSU coach Jay Johnson afterwards, then looked over at his catcher to say 'I didn't know you could run like that.' 'Got no wheels,' Hernandez answered. 'But I was running as fast as I could.' Perhaps it was just the spell LSU can put on games in Omaha. 'I had a straight-on view on it,' Arkansas coach Dave Van Horne said Hernandez' double. 'It was hit hard … It was kind of hooking and sinking. When (Davalan) slipped he probably lost sight of it.' The game-winner was just hard enough — if it doesn't tip Kozeal's glove, it gets to the outfield cleaner and quicker and the Tigers probably have to hold Hernandez at third. But this is LSU in Omaha, so … 'Two years ago to the day, the walk-off homer against Wake Forest,' Johnson remembered. 'I felt something in my body I've never felt before. Greatest moment of my life — now it's tied for first.' It was a long haul. LSU didn't score for the first five innings, but got all it could have hoped for in giving righthanded relief ace Zac Cowan just his second start of the season. He got into the sixth inning allowing only one run, a solo homer by Ryder Helfrick in the fourth. Cowan, who struggled at times late in the regular season, allowed four hits, didn't walk a batter and two of the baserunners he allowed were singles when LSU's infield shift backfired to open up holes. Another was on catcher's interference. 'Spectacular job by Zac,' Johnson said. 'He got us three more outs than I probably thought he would. Just pitching like a warrior and doing what he's done all year.' LSU finally got on the board in the sixth, and took a 2-1 lead when Jake Brown came off the bench for a 2-run, pinch-hit single off of relief ace Gabe Gaeckle— with two outs, of course — that put the Tigers up 2-1. That held up until the eighth when the game went haywire. Jones' game-tying bomb in the eight atoned for a rare defensive miscue in the top of the inning. With the bases loaded with Razorbacks, LSU might have gotten out of the inning with no damage, but Jones couldn't snag a relay throw on an attempted double play and when the ball rolled away from him a second run scored for a 3-2 Arkansas lead. Arkansas got the lead again the ninth, 5-3, on Justin Thomas' 2-run single. The Razorbacks were one out from forcing another game Thursday night. But, as Jones said, 'There's no clock in baseball. There's 27 outs (and) with our offense, it's a tough task to do. 'Happy Luis got the job done — and I'm happy I was able to drive him in.' NOTEBOOK WEIRD PLAY: LSU was denied the third out of the second inning when, upon further review, catchers' interference was ruled against catcher Luis Hernandez on a fly ball to centerfield. Instead of the third out, Justin Thomas was awarded first base, and Cam Kozeal went to second. LSU, which was already in the dugout before being called back out for the review, did get the third out on the next batter. It went in the scorebook as an error. PLAY OF THE GAME: LSU shortstop Steven Milam went deep into the hole on the game's second batter, went to his knees to stop Wehiwa Aloy's ground ball on the outfield grass, then made the one-hop throw to first while bouncing to feet to get the out.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Social media reacts to LSU baseball walk off win in College World Series
The College World Series finals are set in Omaha. LSU baseball and Coastal Carolina will face off in a best-of-three series beginning Saturday from Charles Schwab Stadium in Omaha. The Tigers punched their ticket Wednesday with a walk-off win over Arkansas, their second victory over the Razorbacks in the bracket. Luis Hernandez and Jared Jones batted in three runs during the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs. Advertisement LSU carried a 2-1 lead into the eighth inning, but Arkansas loaded the bases vs. LSU reliever Chase Shores. A chopper gave LSU the chance to get out of the inning. LSU got the out at second, but the ball got past Jared Jones, and two runs scored on the play to give Arkansas a 3-2 lead. Jones made up for the error in the bottom half of the inning, tying the game with a solo homer. We entered the ninth inning tied at 3-3. Arkansas kicked off a rally with a Reese Robinett single and followed it up with a Brent Iredale double. Justin Thomas took the lead back with a two-run single and made it 5-3 Razorbacks. LSU responded in the bottom of the ninth. With two runners on, Arkansas LF Charles Davalan got a bad read on a Luis Hernandez line drive and LSU tied the game at five. Moments later, Jared Jones ended the game with a walk-off single. Advertisement Coastal Carolina advanced to the finals via an 11-3 win over Louisville and will make its first appearance in finals since winning the national championship in 2016. What are LSU fans saying about the College World Series finals? Tiger fans remember the most recent matchup between the two teams when Coastal Carolina swept LSU inside Alex Box Stadium during the Baton Rouge Super Regional in 2016. Kramer Robertson, son of women's basketball head coach Kim Mulkey, remembers the feeling of falling short to the unranked Chanticleers. LSU head coach Jay Johnson faces Coastal Carolina in the College World Series finals for the second time in his career. When he held the same role at Arizona, the Chanticleers won game two and three of the finals to win the national title. The SEC Network made a reference to Jared Jewelers' slogan following Jones' walk off RBI single against a conference foe in Arkansas. Pitcher Anthony Eyanson had his start cut short against UCLA as Monday's game was stopped after three innings. He, along with top arms Kade Anderson and Casan Evans, will come into the finals with plenty of rest. Former LSU pitcher and MLB Draft first overall selection Ben McDonald made a post from Omaha in front of Mardi Gras Mike's Tiger to celebrate the Tigers' appearance in the College World Series final. This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Best social media reaction to LSU baseball's walk off win in Omaha
New York Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
LSU clinches spot in College World Series final after Arkansas botches game in most brutal fashion
An already insane game between LSU and Arkansas in the College World Series had a fitting ending as the Tigers advanced to the championship series for the second consecutive time. Down 5-3 in the bottom of the ninth on Wednesday night in Omaha, Neb., it looked as though the Razorbacks were on the verge of victory, but a misplayed ball with two outs kept LSU alive and led to its eventual win. Luis Hernandez lined a two-out ball into left field, and it looked as though Charles Davalan was going to make the catch for the final out. Advertisement 4 Razorbacks center fielder Justin Thomas Jr. looks on dejectedly as LSU Tigers players celebrate their 6-5 win at Charles Schwab Field on June 18, 2025. Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images Nevertheless, Davalan seemed to misread where the ball was going to go and was forced to scramble as he raced to try to make a catch, unsuccessfully diving as it hit off his glove and rolled away. It allowed Ethan Frey and Steven Milam to score and tie the game at five as the crowd in Omaha went ballistic at what had just occurred. Advertisement 4 Charles Davalan misplayed the ball in left field with two outs in the ninth. But the dramatics weren't done there. Jared Jones, who had already hit a game-tying solo home run in the eighth inning, then stepped up to the plate and hit one off the glove of Arkansas second baseman Cam Kozeal that went into the outfield and allowed the game-winning run to score. Advertisement 4 Tigers catcher Luis Hernandez signals the bench in celebration after driving in two runs with a double during LSU's comeback win over Arkansas at Charles Schwab Field. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect 4 Tigers catcher Luis Hernandez celebrates after LSU's come-from-behind win over Arkansas. Dylan Widger-Imagn Images It capped a wild game in which Arkansas let a 1-0 lead slip away in the sixth inning before the Razorbacks got a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth inning, only to see that disappear in the bottom half. Advertisement After the heroics, Jones ran over to where his parents were sitting and hugged his dad and mom. The win sets the stage for a showdown in the championship series between LSU and Coastal Carolina, which is set to begin on Saturday at 7 p.m.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Arkansas knocked out of College World Series in messy, heartbreaking fashion
Arkansas knocked out of College World Series in messy, heartbreaking fashion The Arkansas Razorbacks were a steamroller in college baseball this spring. The Louisiana State Tigers were one of just a few teams they'd been able to leave in their wake, beating their SEC rival three times in four opportunities. So when they met for a fifth time in the College World Series, it was equally likely we'd see fireworks or heartbreak. Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, they served up both. Arkansas battled back from an early deficit to take a 5-3 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. A win would force a rubber match between conference foes in Omaha. A loss would send the Tigers to the College World Series final and the Razorbacks back to Fayetteville. After a strikeout, single and walk put the winning run at the plate with one out, a grounder to shortstop could have been a game-ending double play. Instead Wehiwa Aloy made the safe choice and opted to force out the lead runner at third. That brought up LSU catch Luis Hernandez. He lined a 1-0 pitch to left field, well-hit but within Razorback Charles Davalan's range. But a misstep upped the degree of difficulty. By virtue of two misplaced inches of a glove, the game was tied. Arkansas could have recovered from a double that could have easily been a game-saving catch. One more out would send the game to extra innings. Instead, well, game of inches. Jared Jones, who homered in the eighth inning to tie the game at three-all, lined a ball up the middle and just off the tip of second baseman Cam Koziel's glove. With that, Arkansas was done. This was a program that went 50-15 this season. The Razorbacks won 20 games against SEC competition, shredding some of the best baseball teams the NCAA had to offer. They only lost to one team once the NCAA Tournament began. Unfortunately, that one team was LSU. The Tigers were tailor made for the moment. Arkansas met the end of its season in one of the most college baseball ways possible -- via a brutally timed deflection off the tip of a glove.
