BATON ROUGE — One more win.
That’s all LSU baseball needs to reach the pinnacle of college baseball, the College World Series in Omaha. The Tigers (47-15) took care of business against West Virginia to kick off the best-of-three NCAA Super Regionals on Saturday afternoon at Alex Box Stadium.
Behind grand slams from Steven Milam and Josh Pearson and a solid outing from lefthanded ace Kade Anderson, LSU (47-15) routed the Mountaineers 16-9 to take a series lead and afford it the chance to advance to the College World Series with one more victory.
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West Virginia (44-15) struggled with walks and hit-by-pitches as it gave up 13 free passes to the Tigers, who took full advantage in Game 1 of the series.
For Game 2, LSU will pitch Anthony Eyanson, who is 10-2 on the season. Eyanson is 6-1 in seven starts at Alex Box Stadium this season.
Mountaineers head coach Steve Sabins said after the Game 1 loss to LSU that he hasn’t figured out who will start Game 2 of the series. Jack Kartsonas will be in the mix to start for WVU.
Who does LSU baseball play in NCAA Super Regional? A look at West Virginia
West Virginia Mountaineers (44-15, 19-9 Big 12 Conference)
- Seeding: No. 2 seed out of Clemson Regional
- Last game: LSU 16, West Virginia 9
Top performers
- Sam White (.352 avg, 44 RBI, 43 R, 16 doubles)
- Kyle West (.347 avg, 10 HR, 41 R, 15 doubles)
- Jace Rinehart (.317 avg, 21 doubles, 51 RBI, 40 R, 8 HR)
- Griffin Kirn LHP (5-2 W/L, 95 IP, 100 K, 29 BB .237 opponent avg)
- Reese Bassinger RHP (7-1 W/L, 61 IP, 29 appearances, 5 saves, 43 K, .262 opponent avg)
- Jack Kartsonas RHP (6-3 W/L, 64⅓ IP, 76 K, 16 BB, .246 opponent avg)
LSU baseball vs West Virginia score prediction
LSU 5, West Virginia 1: Anthony Eyanson continues to deal for the Tigers as he pitches into the eighth inning, giving way for freshman Casan Evans to close the game out and clinch LSU’s spot in the College World Series. The Tigers’ offense sputters at times but gets a couple of keys hits to provide the necessary cushion.
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
