Davis's blast leads Vanderbilt past LSU
Jayden Davis hit a two-run home run in the eighth off LSU's Nate Ackenhausen, leading Vanderbilt to an 8-6 win over the Tigers at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., on Friday evening.
Davis, a right-handed hitter, poked the first pitch he saw from Ackenhausen just over the right-field wall to score Matthew Polk and give the Commodores their first lead since the third inning.
Cam Kozeal added an RBI single over Justin Loer in the ninth for an insurance run, helping give Ethan McElvain (3 1/3 scoreless innings, four strikeouts) his first career victory.
RJ Austin added a home run for Vanderbilt (24-7, 7-4 Southeastern Conference), which evened the series at a game apiece.
Vanderbilt survived a two-home run performance from LSU's All-American third baseman Tommy White, who got both off starter Bryce Cunningham. Cunningham allowed five runs and also yielded an Ashton Larson round-tripper.
The Commodores' Brennan Seiber allowed a run in an inning and a third, as Vanderbilt trailed 6-5 after six innings.
Davis's two-out homer in the eighth gave Vandy new life but LSU had two on with one out after a walk and Larson's infield single, followed by Alan Espinal’s throwing error that gave the Tigers men on the corners.
But Steven Milam rolled into a 6-4-3 double play to end that threat. And in the ninth, after LSU's Mac Bingham singled off McElvain to lead off, the freshman got White to pop harmlessly to center before striking out Jared Jones and Alex Milazzo to end the night.
LSU’s White started the scoring with a solo homer in the first.
Vanderbilt took the lead in the third. Braden Holcomb, a righty making his first start in left field in place of lefty Troy LaNeve, doubled off lefty Gage Jump to lead of the inning and then scored when Austin just got one out to left-center.
But LSU’s Larson homered to right-center to tie it in the bottom of the inning, and then White smacked another for a 4-2 Tiger lead before Vandy's Davis added a two-out RBI single in the top of the fourth to cut the lead to a run.
Davis added an RBI ground-out in the sixth, an answer for Jones's RBI single off Seiber in the bottom of the fifth.
It's Vanderbilt's first true road win this season.
The teams play the series finale at 2 Central on Saturday.
Vanderbilt is scheduled to start lefty Carter Holton, while LSU hasn't announced a starter.
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