1 week Ago
LSU's Luis Hernandez (23) celebrates with teammates after hitting a two-run homer in the second inning of LSU’s 12-5 win over Missouri Friday at LSU’s Alex Box Stadium. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save AUSTIN, Texas — First they were friends, but on this night they were enemies. Luis Hernandez and Jared Spencer played together at Indiana State for the past two seasons.
Together, they won 89 games and reached a super regional in 2023. They were also roommates that year. "He's a good person," Hernandez said.
"I love him (as) a person, (as) a player." But the two found themselves occupying different dugouts on Friday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Hernandez was LSU's starting catcher, while Spencer was starting on the mound for Texas.
The senior faced off against the left-hander three times. And after laying down a sacrifice bunt in the second inning, it was Hernandez who got the better of Spencer. Hernandez went 2-for-2 with a home run and three RBIs against Spencer as LSU took down Texas 8-2 in Game 1 of the first Southeastern Conference series between the two teams.
The victory was LSU's 17th consecutive win. "It was a little bit of an advantage," Hernandez said when asked if his familiarity with Spencer helped him on Friday. "But you (still) have to see the ball and hit the ball.
" It took a few innings, but Friday was another good night for LSU's offense. The Tigers had 13 hits and every starter had at least one. "The guys did a great job setting the table, and they did a good job executing," LSU coach Jay Johnson said.
"So I think it was just a really, very well played game by our team." LSU (22-1, 4-0 SEC) put a man in scoring position in each of the first three innings but didn't score until the fourth when Hernandez marched to the plate with one on and nobody out. With the count at 1-2, Hernandez took a high slider from Spencer and deposited it into the LSU bullpen in left field.
The two-run homer was his third of the year and gave LSU a 2-1 lead. "Magic moment of the game for sure," Johnson said. After LSU extended its lead to 3-1 on a sacrifice fly out from Josh Pearson in the fifth inning, Hernandez dug back into the batter's box with two outs and shot a single into left field that scored another run to give the Tigers 4-1 advantage.
"He had a great night tonight offensively," Johnson said. Spencer's night was over by the end of the fifth inning. He threw a career-high 96 pitches, but LSU's assault on Texas (17-3, 3-1) pitching had only begun.
A run-scoring bunt single from senior Michael Braswell, a run-scoring double by junior Chris Stanfield and a two-run single from junior Jared Jones put four runs on the board for LSU in the seventh inning to give it an 8-2 lead. All four runs were charged to redshirt senior right-hander Andre Duplantier. Duplantier entered Friday's game with a 1.
64 ERA in 11 innings. "It's really just about playing good baseball," Johnson said. LSU's offense eventually stole the show, but sophomore left-handed starter Kade Anderson was the story for LSU on the mound.
He allowed just two earned runs and one extra-base hit in six innings. He gave up seven hits, but the first three didn't even leave the infield. His fastball sat in the mid 90s and he mostly used the heater and his slider to retire hitters.
He finished the night with eight strikeouts. "I thought that my fastball command was a lot better this week," Anderson said. "And obviously I think that's the goal of every pitcher to kind of continue to work on that.
" Junior right-hander Zac Cowan replaced Anderson in the seventh inning and threw three shutout innings to finish the game. Despite LSU leading by six when he entered, Johnson never considered taking Cowan out to save him for later in the series. "A six-run lead on the road against a veteran lineup is maybe not what it seems all the time," Johnson said.
LSU and Texas will square off for Game 2 of the series in Austin on Saturday. First pitch from UFCU Disch-Falk Field is set for 6 p.m.
and the game will be available to stream on SEC Network+..
