The game was all but over. A ground ball to third base figured to be the first out of the inning.
But Tennessee third baseman Dean Curley couldn’t make the play. Two batters later, Curley made another error before a walk loaded the bases.
Suddenly, LSU was threatening to tie the game in the ninth inning, putting the go-ahead run to the plate trailing 3-0.
Four batters later, LSU had won the game. On a night where the Tigers had just three hits entering the ninth inning, LSU scored six runs in the ninth to capture a 6-3 victory from the jaws of defeat.
Fifth-year senior pinch-hitter Dalton Beck singled up the middle to drive in two runs after the walk. Junior Chris Stanfield flew out but freshman Derek Curiel singled home the game-tying run with two outs on a two-strike count.
Junior Jared Jones then put an exclamation point on the comeback with a 452-foot three-run walk-off home run.
Before the classic could begin, everyone had to wait. Both teams sat through a three-hour and 25 minute weather delay that pushed the time of first pitch from 6:30 p.m. to 9:55 p.m.
Both aces traded zeroes until the sixth inning, when Tennessee third baseman Andrew Fischer singled home second baseman Gavin Kilen with nobody out.
Anderson continued on despite surrendering the run. He lasted until the eighth inning, allowing just six hits and striking out 11 batters. He exited for junior right-hander Zac Cowan after a one-out double from first baseman Andrew Fischer.
A wild pitch allowed Fischer to advance to third base. He eventually scored on a single that snuck through a drawn-in LSU infield to give Tennessee a 2-0 lead in the eighth.
Junior right-hander Jacob Mayers pitched the ninth inning, replacing Cowan after he threw 13 pitches in the eighth. He surrendered a two-out run-scoring double to Kilen that extended the Vols’ lead to three.
LSU didn’t get its first hit until the sixth inning when Jones singled up the middle with two outs. The only hitters who reached through the first 5⅔ innings was freshman Derek Curiel and Jones — they both walked.
The Tigers were unable to run Doyle out of the game until the seventh inning after he walked sophomore Jake Brown with two outs. Senior Josh Pearson then singled off right-handed reliever Tanner Franklin to put two runners on for sophomore Ashton Larson, but Larson harmlessly flew out to left field to end the inning.
Doyle, a junior, finished his night with just one hit allowed and three walks in 6⅔ innings. He only had six strikeouts but forced eight fly outs and six ground outs.
Right-hander Nate Snead entered for Tennessee in the eighth inning and tossed a scoreless inning before running into trouble in the ninth.
LSU and Tennessee square off for Game 2 of the series on Saturday. First pitch from Alex Box Stadium is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be avaiable to watch on ESPNU.
