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LSU drops first game of season to Texas Friday

Posted at 11:00 PM, Mar 01, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-02 00:00:41-05

AUSTIN, Texas (KATC) – Texas right-hander Bryce Elder held the No. 1 LSU baseball team to one run in 6.2 innings of work to lead the No. 18 Longhorns to an 8-1win Friday night in UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

Texas improved to 8-3 overall while LSU dropped its first game of the season and is now 8-1 on the year.

The teams will meet in Game 2 of the series Saturday at 3:30 p.m. CT in UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The games will be aired on the Longhorn Network, and fans can listen to the game on the LSU Sports Radio Network, including 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge. Free audio streaming of the LSU Sports Radio Network broadcast is available on LSUsports.net/live.

“It was a really good ballgame there for a while, but we had a couple of tough things go against us,” head coach Paul Mainieri said. “We had a couple of tough breaks. I thought Zack Hess was about as courageous of a pitcher you could have. He got drilled by the second batter of the game right in his tricep in his throwing arm, and he just kept playing, kept pitching. Later in the game, we had trouble throwing strikes, and the game got away from us. You’re not going to go 56-0. We just have to take it tonight and turn the page tomorrow.”

Elder (2-0) earned the win Friday night after giving up one run in the first inning and allowing four hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.

Kamron Fields entered in relief of Elder with the tying run at first base to earn his first career save after blanking LSU in 2.1 innings of work, walking two and striking out one.

LSU starter Zack Hess (1-1) was charged with the loss after pitching four innings. He surrendered three runs on six hits, walked four and struck out six.

With one out in the top of the first inning, center fielder Zach Watson singled up the middle, moved to second on an error by the pitcher and advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead on a wild pitch.

The Longhorns tied the score in the bottom of the third inning. With the bases loaded, first baseman Tate Shaw drew a walk to drive in designated hitter Zach Zubia to make it 1-1.

Texas second baseman Masen Hibbeler led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a double to the wall in left-center field. With one out, center fielder Duke Ellis drilled an opposite field home run to left field to give the Longhorns the 3-1 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh with runners on the corners after right fielder Austin Todd drew a leadoff walk and Zubia slapped a single through the right side before Lance Ford entered to pinch run, third baseman Ryan Reynolds singled through the right side to plate Todd. Ford scored on a passed ball, and an infield single to third base put runners on the corners with one out for Hibbeler, who singled through the left side to drive in Reynolds and Shaw. The Longhorns put runners in scoring position after Ellis singled up the middle, and an error brought in the final Texas run of the inning to make it an 8-1 game.

LSU pitchers Chase Costello and Trent Vietmeier combined for three innings and allowed five runs—four earned—on five hits, walked four and struck out one. Riggs Threadgill fired the eighth inning and walked one and struck out one.