In a resounding victory, LSU dominated West Virginia, securing a sweep in the Baton Rouge Super Regional with a 12-5 win Sunday night. Jake Brown shined with a home run and four RBIs, while Steven Milam contributed two doubles and drove in four runs as well. This win propels No. 6 seed LSU (48-15) to their 20th College World Series appearance where they aim to capture their eighth national title—an accomplishment achieved last in 2023.
The Tigers capitalized right from the beginning with Derek Curiel starting off with a double and scoring off Brown’s fielder’s choice, giving LSU an early 1-0 lead which they maintained throughout. On the mound, Anthony Eyanson (11-2) provided a solid performance despite allowing four runs, as he struck out seven in his five innings of work.
A pivotal moment arose in the second inning when LSU loaded the bases with two-out walks drawn by Chris Stanfield, Curiel, and Ethan Frey. Milam then delivered a key double off Jack Kartsonas (6-4), clearing the bases and extending the lead to 6-0. Jace Rinehart’s solo home run and Chase Swain’s walk threatened a rally, but reliever Chase Shores silenced West Virginia with a strikeout to end the eighth, followed by a perfect ninth inning.
West Virginia responded with Sam White’s leadoff homer and Ben Lumsden’s two-run blast in the fourth, showing some fight by slashing the deficit to 6-4. However, LSU charged back with a robust six-run seventh inning—highlighted by Brown’s two-run homer—that put the game out of reach, restoring an eight-run buffer.
In the series opener, grand slams from both Milam and Josh Pearson powered LSU to a 16-9 victory over the Mountaineers. Under the guidance of first-year coach Steve Sabins, West Virginia (44-16) achieved a program record for wins in a single season, having reached their inaugural super regional last year.
Despite inclement weather delaying the game’s original 5:06 p.m. start by approximately three hours, LSU remained unperturbed, advancing confidently to the College World Series after a commanding series performance.