In an already thrilling match-up between LSU and Arkansas at the College World Series, the Tigers secured a spot in the championship series for the second year in a row.
Trailing 5-3 at the bottom of the ninth inning on Wednesday night in Omaha, Nebraska, it seemed the Razorbacks were poised for a win. However, a fielding error with two outs gave LSU a chance to stay in the game, leading to their ultimate victory.
Luis Hernandez lined a two-out ball into left field, and it looked as though Charles Davalan was going to make the catch for the final out.
Davalan appeared to misjudge the ball’s trajectory, causing him to sprint and attempt a catch. Unfortunately, he missed, and the ball deflected off his glove, allowing it to roll away.
It allowed Ethan Frey and Steven Milam to score and tie the game at five as the crowd in Omaha went ballistic at what had just occurred.
But the dramatics weren’t done there.
Jared Jones, who had already hit a game-tying solo home run in the eighth inning, then stepped up to the plate and hit one off the glove of Arkansas second baseman Cam Kozeal that went into the outfield and allowed the game-winning run to score.
It capped a wild game in which Arkansas let a 1-0 lead slip away in the sixth inning before the Razorbacks got a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth inning, only to see that disappear in the bottom half.
After the heroics, Jones ran over to where his parents were sitting and hugged his dad and mom.
The win sets the stage for a showdown in the championship series between LSU and Coastal Carolina, which is set to begin on Saturday at 7 p.m.
