Lebarron Johnson Jr. Dazzles, Longhorns Bats Go Cold in 3-0 LSU Loss
The Tuesday night matchup between the Texas Longhorns (3-5) and No. 1 LSU Tigers (7-1) did not go the way many people likely expected it to.
After all, the Tigers are the No. 1 team in the country and had outscored opponents 69-28 through their first six games. If the Longhorns' pitching staff struggled to contain the lineup, no one would have been too surprised.
However that was far from the case, as the Longhorns turned to Lebarron Johnson Jr. on the mound who put together an absolute gem of a performance. Rather than get knocked around by the Tigers lineup, Johnson made arguably the best offense in the country look silly in his five innings of work.
Johnson was lights out for Texas, tossing five innings of scoreless baseball while allowing only three hits and striking out a career-high nine batters. Perhaps his best work came in the fourth inning when after giving up a leadoff double to Tommy White, he responded by striking out the side on three swinging strikeouts.
While Johnson was lights out on the mound, so was the LSU pitching staff. They held the Longhorns in check all game long, allowing only four hits and striking out eight while pitching a shutout.
The Texas bullpen kept the shutout intact for three more innings after Johnson's departure before things fell apart in the ninth. Chris Stuart issued two straight walks to open the inning, with Andre Duplantier II eventually entering the game and giving up the game-winning three run home run in what became a 3-0 loss.
What's next for Texas?
After wrapping up their five-game home stand with the loss to LSU, the Longhorns will hit the road for their first true road series - a three-game set this weekend against Cal State Fullerton.
The pitching staff has shown they can shut down the best of lineups, and now it is time for the offense to get it together and start scoring runs. Otherwise, it will be a long, long season in Austin.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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