Oklahoma Baseball: Sooners Fall to LSU

OU had numerous opportunities to put the Tigers away but LSU rallied and prevailed with a walk-off, 11th-inning home run.

Oklahoma had LSU on the ropes, but kept giving the Tigers second chances.

It took 11 innings, but LSU finally made the Sooners pay.

Tigers shortstop Jordan Thompson greeted OU reliever Griffin Miller with a walk-off home run to start the 11th inning and the Sooners fell 5-4 on Friday in the Shriners Children's College Classic at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

OU (5-3) jumped to a 3-0 lead and led 4-3 in the 10th inning, but couldn’t hold off No. 8-ranked LSU (9-1).

After Tanner Tredaway led off the 10th with a single to center, Jimmy Crooks smashed a double to right to score Tredaway from first and push the Sooners to a 4-3 lead.

OU had a chance to tack on insurance runs but couldn’t get anything more across. With Crooks on second, LSU got two quick strikeouts before intentionally walking Diego Muniz and hitting Trent Brown with a pitch. However, LSU reliever Trent Vietmeier came in from the bullpen to end the OU threat with another strikeout.

The Sooners had been 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position before Crooks’ go-ahead hit. Oklahoma’s lineup put together 12 hits but left 11 runners stranded and was just 2-for-16 from the plate with runners on base.

OU had a chance to win it in the bottom of the 10th, but LSU’s Tre Morgan blooped a one-out double off Jaret Godman. Cade Doughty then smashed a double down the line into left field, tying Morgan and tying it at 4-4.

OU also had an ideal opportunity in the ninth but couldn’t finish.

Brett Squires opened the top of the ninth with a leadoff double but was left stranded at third when Blake Robertson’s hard-hit liner was gloved at first for an inning-ending double play.

Three LSU errors helped the Sooners scored two unearned runs.

OU scored first in front in the fifth inning when Kendall Pettis laid down a bunt and reached on a throwing error that allowed Squires to come home from second base.

Pettis gave OU a 2-0 lead in the seventh with a solo home run, and the Sooners made it 3-0 later in the seventh when Robertson’s single up the middle scored Peyton Graham.

The Tigers immediately answered with one run in the seventh and two more in the eighth off OU reliever Trevin Michael.

Gavin Dugas delivered a two-out single through the left side to score Doughty to put LSU on the board, and the Tigers tied it an inning later on Doughty’s two-run home run to right field.

Doughty finished 3-for-5 with a home run, two doubles and three RBIs.

Left-hander Jake Bennett had another strong start for the Sooners, giving up just one earned run in 6 2/3 innings. Bennett struck out four, walked one and scattered three hits before giving the ball to Michael.

OU takes on two more opponents the rest of the weekend in Houston. The Sooners meet No. 25 UCLA on Saturday and No. 14 Tennessee on Sunday. Both games are scheduled to start at 11 a.m.