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'Monster' Steven Milam drills walk-off HR to top Wofford in Game 1 of Chapel Hill Regional

FaceProfileby:Thomas Goldkamp•05/31/24
Steven Milam LSU baseball
Steven Milam LSU baseball

The LSU baseball team trailed for a significant chunk of its opening game in the Chapel Hill Regional against Wofford before the bats roared to life in the late innings.

The Tigers hit three home runs after the sixth inning to level the game against the Terriers, then eventually broke through for a walk-off win with another in the ninth inning.

Second baseman Steven Milam was the hero, hitting a solo home run to center field to walk it off 4-3.

“He kept on throwing those fastballs in and I think that was like my eighth one in a row, so I got my timing down and got a pitch I could drive out of here,” Milam said after the game.

Wofford got on the board first in the top of the second inning.

Catcher Daniel Jackson led the charge by hitting a leadoff double, then a sacrifice bunt moved him over to third base. He scored moments later on a sacrifice fly from first baseman Tyler Hare, breaking the 0-0 deadlock.

A full-count single by designated hitter Lucas Manning put another runner aboard, then Manning stole second. Left fielder Andrew Mannelly drove him home with a single to right field, making it 2-0

On the other side, LSU didn’t have much luck against Wofford starting pitcher Branton Little in the early going. Little gave up just one hit through the first three innings of work, striking out two while walking just one. He was cruising.

It wasn’t until the bottom of the seventh inning that LSU finally got on the scoreboard.

Milam went for a solo shot to make it 1-0 in that frame, then the Tigers followed it up with solo shots from shortstop Michael Braswell and first baseman Jared Jones to tie the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning.

That set up the ninth-inning heroics for Milam, who came back around to the plate in the bottom of the ninth.

“It feels good just trying to help my team win,” Milam said. “We’re trying to make it back to Omaha and win another national championship. Just putting good at-bats together is what we’re all trying to do. I put together four good at-bats today. I lined out twice. Nobody saw those, but I saw the ball really good today and got some pitches I could drive.”

The heroics are nothing new for Milam, either. He was the key hit in LSU’s eight-run come-from-behind victory over South Carolina in the SEC Tournament last week, blasting a two-run shot to left field for the win.

“I just hit one last week, so kind of used to it a little bit,” Milam said. “Just trying to pass the sticks to the next guy also again there.”