The LSU Tigers won the College World Series championship after an 18-4 victory over the Florida Gators in Game 3 of the finals Monday night, claiming its first national title since 2009.
The victory came after Florida forced a third game with a record-setting 24-4 victory in Game 2. LSU gave up the most runs ever in a College World Series game in the contest.
The Tigers (54-17) bounced back from the lopsided score and staved off elimination three times during the tournament to claim its seventh championship. They hold the second-most titles behind Southern California’s 12.
LSU fell early in the contest with a 2-0 deficit but swiftly answered with a six-run second inning. The runs kept coming throughout the game, resulting in the 14-run margin – the largest ever in a CWS final.
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Recording the most hits in a CWS game with an impressive 24, the Tigers also racked up the most runs in a title game since USC’s 21-14 win over Arizona State in 1998.
LSU’s Thatcher Hurd (8-3) allowed Wyatt Langford’s two-run homer in the first and then kept the Gators off the board, allowing no hits or runs while retiring 18 of the next 21 batters.
The Tigers’ Riley Cooper took over to start the seventh inning and gave up the Gators’ Ty Evans’ CWS-record fifth homer. Gavin Guidry finished the combined five-hitter.
The Tigers notably sat ace Paul Skenes in Omaha. He threw a combined 243 pitches over 15 2/3 innings in two spectacular appearances in the previous contests. He would have been working on three days’ rest.
Though his LSU teammates did not need his defense as they poured on the runs and Hatcher kept dealing. Skenes headed to the bullpen to do some stretching in the seventh inning, but ultimately to the dugout and stayed there until he and his teammates rushed the mound to celebrate their victory following a game-ending strike out by Guidry.
Skenes was named the Most Outstanding Player of the CWS.
Three key offseason transfers for LSU developed the CWS-winning roster, including Skenes who became the first college pitcher in 12 years with 200 strikeouts. He could be the No. 1 pick in the amateur draft.
Tommy White hit 24 homers and drove in a nation-leading 105 runs. Hurd was also solid as a starter and reliever, and matched his longest outing of the year in the title game.
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The Tigers were the consensus No. 1 team in the polls from the preseason until the first week of May when Wake Forest overtook them. LSU finished the season well enough to be the No. 5 national seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers swept through regionals and super regionals in Baton Rouge, punching their ticket to Omaha for the first time since they were national runners-up six years ago.
The SEC has now won four straight national championships with LSU joining Mississippi, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.
Florida (also 54-17) won the SEC regular-season title, was the No. 2 national seed and set school records for wins and home runs, but the Gators were unable to carry over the momentum from their record-setting production Sunday to Monday night’s matchup.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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