LSU is 2-8 away from Alex Box Stadium this season.
LSU dropped a 10-9 decision to Tulane on Wednesday night on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth inning in a tough road loss.
Unfortunately for the Tigers at this point in the season, those tough road losses are nothing new.
The loss to the Green Wave dropped LSU to 2-8 in games away from Alex Box Stadium – 2-7 in true road games and 0-1 in the Tigers’ neutral site game at the Shrine on Airline in the Wally Pontiff Jr. Classic, a 3-1 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette.
Seven of the eight losses have been by two runs or less with only the 9-2 loss to Texas A&M as the only large loss on the road this season.
So, what needs to happen as LSU travels to take on South Carolina this weekend to fix that?
« For us to take that next step as a team, we’re going to have to find a way to finish out baseball games on the road, » said Zack Hess, the team’s No. 1 starter who will get the ball on Friday night against the Gamecocks.
Hess likened Wednesday night’s loss to Tulane to Sunday’s come-from-behind victory against Tennessee. In that contest, Daniel Cabrera hit a three-run home run to cap off a six-run ninth inning when LSU toppled the Volunteers, 9-7.
LSU actually took a 9-7 lead over Tulane before allowing the Green Wave to plate three runs in the ninth.
« We’re just trying to keep doing what we’re doing, » junior outfielder Antoine Duplantis said. « We played a pretty good game (against Tulane) I thought, we just couldn’t finish it off. I think we’re playing better. We have to treat it like nothing else. We have to embrace the road and the fans of the other team that are cheering against us and keep getting better. »
Duplantis added it was hard to pin down exactly what the team’s issues are away from home but he also knows how important it is for the team to bounce back quickly against South Carolina.
« I don’t know exactly what it is, » Duplantis said. « It’s hard to narrow it down. Each game had its own thing. A&M we didn’t get any hits, last night we got a bunch of hits. I guess it’s just piecing it together and finishing the job. Maybe us not getting to bat last is part of it. We just have to figure out a way to win those games. We have a big weekend this weekend. »
LSU coach Paul Mainieri doesn’t think his team will have any hangover going to South Carolina either.
« It shouldn’t have any lasting effects on our team’s morale or confidence, » Mainieri said. « We’ve always played well at South Carolina. »
The Tigers will turn to Hess on Friday night and back to Ma’Khail Hilliard on Saturday but the Sunday starter – like it was last week – is still up in the air.
Mainieri told reporters on Thursday afternoon that he did not want to use Nick Bush, Todd Peterson or Matthew Beck against the Green Wave. He said Devin Fontenot was a candidate to be used but he wasn’t going to use him for the sake of using him.
Bush and Peterson were kept on the bench but Beck and Fontenot saw time in the ninth inning and it was Beck that gave up the game-ending walk after Mainieri had him intentionally walk two batters to load the bases.
Bush or Peterson could be a candidate to start Sunday’s game but Mainieri said he wants to see how the first two games of the series play out. He also said he wouldn’t hold anyone back on Saturday if the Tigers lost on Friday night but could hold someone to start on Sunday if the Tigers get off to the right start in game one.
