Tigers hand Hogs first loss at CWS

OMAHA, Neb. – LSU pounded out 13 hits, including launching three home runs, as the Tigers posted a 9-1 win over Arkansas in a College World Series winners’ bracket game on Monday night in front of a crowd of 23,417 at Rosenblatt Stadium.

With the win No. 1 ranked LSU (53-16), the No. 3 national seed, remains undefeated in the bracket and will await the winner of an elimination game on Friday. Arkansas (40-22) saw its five-game postseason winning streak come to an end and will return to the diamond on Wednesday to play Virginia in an elimination game set for 6 p.m.

"You give credit to (Louis) Coleman," Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said. "He pitched outstanding. We got off to a bad start. They got a big three run home run with two outs and then another run in the second inning with two outs. They kept driving runs in with two outs. In the sixth inning, we felt like we were still in the game. Then they put it out of reach in the sixth. We didn’t do a whole lot. We didn’t pitch very well. The good news is that we get another shot on Wednesday."

LSU starting pitcher Louis Coleman (14-2) held the Razorbacks’ bats in check scattering six hits and allowing only one run in his six innings of work. Arkansas starter Brett Eibner (5-5) suffered the loss after allowing four runs in his 1.2 innings of work.

The Razorbacks fell behind early as LSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the Razorbacks could get to the plate. A leadoff single was followed by a walk and after two outs and it looked as though Arkansas would get out of a first-inning jam, Mikie Mahtook hit a deep fly ball to left that left the yard to give the Tigers the lead.

Arkansas answered with a single run in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Andy Wilkins. A one-out double by Ben Tschepikow got things started for the Razorbacks. Scott Lyons continued the inning with a single to right field and Wilkins drove the run home with a fly ball to left. The RBI for Wilkins was his sixth of the College World Series, a total that is double any other player through the first three days of competition.

Back-to-back two out hits by LSU scored a fourth Tiger run in the second inning to make the score 4-1. A single by leadoff hitter DJ LeMahieu was followed by a double to the wall by Ryan Schimpf giving LSU another three-run lead.

The Razorbacks had their chances through three innings to score some runs as they left six runners on base including three in the third inning. Tschepikow led off with his second double of the game, the first time this season he has hit two in a single contest, and two walks and two strikeouts loaded the bases with two outs, but a pinch hit strike out ended the Razorback threat.

LSU exploded for five runs in the sixth inning on a pair of home runs and a RBI single with four of the five runs scoring with two outs. A solo home run to the No. 9 hitter with one out started the rally, then a two-out walk was the opening LSU needed as Blake Dean hit a two-run home run and two singles sandwiched a walk allowing LSU to open a 9-1 lead on the Razorbacks.

Arkansas tallied nine hits including two from Jacob House and one from Andy Wilkins. House has now recorded four hits in six post-season at bats, while Wilkins’ extended his hitting streak to eight games.

The Razorbacks are back in action on Wednesday, June 17, when they play the Virginia Cavaliers in an elimination game at 6 p.m. The meeting between the two squads is a first in program history. The winner of Wednesday’s game will play LSU on Friday at 1 p.m. For more information regarding Razorback baseball or University of Arkansas athletics please visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.