LSU, Georgia trade monster home runs to send game to extra innings

If you blinked, you might have missed a whirlwind ninth inning between Georgia and No. 5 LSU Thursday night. The inning was so crazy, it sent the game to extras.

It started in the top half when LSU star Dylan Crews hit a monster home run into the trees over the left field fence to make it a 5-3 Tigers lead. As great as the home run was, the reaction by pitcher Dalton Rhadans told the whole story.

The Bulldogs weren’t entirely out just yet, though.

DYLAN CREWWWWWS 💣

Pitchers reaction says it all 😂 pic.twitter.com/gcUabUEyXB

— 11Point7: The College Baseball Podcast 🎙 (@11point7) May 19, 2023

In the bottom of the ninth, Sebastian Murillo led things off with a solo shot of his own to cut the LSU lead to 5-4. Then, with two outs, Ben Anderson stepped up and delivered another big blast. This one went over the right field fence and tied things up at 5-5.

That meant fans got some free baseball at Foley Field.

YOURE KIDDING‼️

BEN ANDERSON HITS A GAME TYING MAMMO BOMB WITH 2 OUTS IN THE 9TH 🚨

THIS GAME IS BONKERS pic.twitter.com/iVf08fzAnL

— 11Point7: The College Baseball Podcast 🎙 (@11point7) May 19, 2023

LSU — the nation’s No. 5-ranked team — entered Thursday with a 40-12 overall record and a 17-9 record in SEC play. The Tigers had lost two of their last three games coming in.

Georgia, meanwhile, took a 28-24 overall and 10-17 record in league action into the matchup.

LSU fights off Georgia in 12-inning thriller

It took three more innings after the home runs, but LSU wound up holding off Georgia 8-5 in 12 innings.

The Tigers got a two-run shot from Josh Pearson to put them back in front, 7-5. After that, Jordan Thompson hit one of his own to make it back-to-back jacks and an 8-5 advantage. That held as the final score, giving LSU its 41st victory of the year and its 18th in conference play.

All told, the Tigers hit six home runs en route to the win, including two from Thompson. His first came in the eighth inning to make it a 5-3 LSU lead.

LSU and Georgia will play two more games this weekend to close out the regular season. From there, they — along with the rest of the SEC — will converge on Hoover, Ala., for the conference tournament next week. The Tigers currently sit two games back of Arkansas for first place in the SEC West and the Bulldogs fell into sole possession of last place in the SEC East with the loss Thursday night.

Game 2 of the three-game series will start Saturday at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the final game Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.