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BATON ROUGE, La. − Nate Snead stood on the mound and watched the ball.
LSU’s Jared Jones did the same, gazing as his walk-off homer exited Alex Box Stadium to center field to cap a six-run ninth inning and erase eight innings of Tennessee baseball dominance.
All six runs were unearned as Dean Curley started the ninth inning with a throwing error to first base and booted a grounder two batters later. Pinch hitter Dalton Beck drove in two with a single for LSU’s first runs. Derek Curiel singled in the tying run. Jones ended it, as the Vols squandered a great Liam Doyle start.
The Vols (34-8, 12-7 SEC) and Tigers (35-8, 13-6) play the second game on April 26 (8 p.m. ET, ESPNU). The series opener on April 25 featured a 3-hour, 25-minute weather delay.
Liam Doyle continues to be the best pitcher in the SEC
Doyle’s past four starts include six innings of a combined no-hitter, a 14-strikeout outing against his former team, and one-hit start against the fifth-ranked team.
The Ole Miss transfer has allowed eight hits and eight walks in his past 28 innings across four straight quality starts. LSU entered the series hitting .316 as a team. Doyle allowed one hit and walked three. He impressively did it without many strikeouts. He had six, matching his season low.
Doyle threw 109 pitches, his sixth start in his past eight with at least 100 pitches. He has gone over 100 pitches in three straight starts, including a season-high 111 at Ole Miss on April 11.
LSU pitcher Kade Anderson gave Tennessee fits
LSU ace Kade Anderson was outstanding competing against Doyle. The sophomore pitcher allowed two runs on six hits with three walks and 11 strikeouts.
The left-handed pitcher was especially wicked against UT’s lefty-heavy lineup. Eight of his 11 strikeouts were against lefties.
Tennessee loaded the bases against Anderson in the second, but Dean Curley grounded into a fielder’s choice. It did not get another runner into scoring position until Kilen in the sixth. Cannon Peebles had the only extra-base hit against Anderson, a seventh-inning double to left.
Ariel Antigua had a special night defensively
Ariel Antigua made good on the primary reason he is in the starting lineup, delivering multiple defensive dandies in the early innings.
He made a smooth play on a slow chopper over the mound in the first inning. He corralled a hard-hit ball with a tricky hop in the second, finishing the play with a long and strong throw. He ranged up the middle on a soft grounder in the fifth.
The sophomore made his most difficult play on a foul pop in the fourth. He slipped on the wet field, but caught the ball almost laying flat.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
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