Ragin’ Stunner: No.1 LSU loses to UL Lafayette 8-5 in a massive upset

The Cajuns upset No.1 LSU in impressive fashion to give the Tigers its first midweek loss of the season

UL Lafayette picked up its biggest win of the year when it defeated No.1 LSU 8-5 at Alex Box Stadium on Tuesday night.

UL Lafayette reliever David Christie’s huge performance on the mound and a pair of two-run home runs propelled the Cajuns to victory. The Cajuns also benefited from fielding mistakes as the Tigers recorded two errors as well as back-to-back misplayed pop flies by left fielder Tre Morgan and center fielder Dylan Crews.

The last time UL Lafayette defeated LSU was on April 16, 2019, when the Cajuns defeated the Tigers 6-5 in Metairie, Louisiana at The Shrine on Airline.

Christie (1-0) picked up his first win of the year as he limited LSU to one run on three hits in six innings with four walks and one strikeout.

LSU reliever Riley Cooper (1-2) was charged with his second loss of the season, as he gave up four runs on six hits in 3.1 innings with two walks and two strikeouts.

A two-run dinger by center fielder Heath Hood in the third inning and a two-run blast by left fielder Conor Higgs in the seventh highlighted the Cajuns’ offensive output.

“UL Lafayette has a very good team, and they produced a lot of baserunners and created a lot of traffic,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “Christie did a great job for them on the mound; he got out there and executed, and we couldn’t quite get on the barrel against him and get the offensive momentum going.”

If there was one bright spot for the Tigers, it was LSU left-hander Javen Coleman. Coleman started the game, making his first appearance on the rubber since February 26, 2022, after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Coleman retired the side in order and recorded two strikeouts in his one inning of work.

“It’s really awesome to see for Javen,” Johnson said. “I know the work that he’s put into his recovery, and it obviously a great development for our team. I’ve never seen someone return that quickly and return in that type of form. I’m happy for him and happy for our team to have him available.”

LSU drew first blood when it gained a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on designated hitter Cade Beloso’s RBI triple. However, the Cajuns responded with two runs in the second inning when catcher Clay Wargo’s RBI sacrifice bunt and a run-scoring single by right fielder Will Veillon made the score 2-1 at the end of the first.

The Tigers would tie the game in the bottom of the second when second baseman Jack Merrifield provided an RBI groundout which brought home Brayden Jobert from third base.

However, Hood’s two-run homer in the third gave the Cajuns a 4-2 lead.

With the score 4-3 after Jared Jones’ RBI sac fly in the bottom of the third, the Cajuns took advantage of two misplayed fly balls in the fourth to expand their lead to 6-3. Higgs’ homer in the seventh increased the advantage to 8-3.

LSU left fielder Tre’ Morgan launched a two-run home run – his third dinger of the season – in the ninth to reduce the margin to 8-5.

LSU, which lost its first midweek game of the season, dropped to 29-7, while UL Lafayette improved to 26-12.

LSU will open a three-game SEC series versus Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., at 6:30 p.m. CT Friday. All games will be streamed on SEC Network+ with the game on Saturday being televised nationally on ESPN2 at 2 p.m. CT.