Why Jay Johnson trusted Riley Cooper to finish elimination game against Tennessee on the mound
While a lot of the talk surrounding LSU’s 5-0 elimination game win over Tennessee in the College World Series on Tuesday night — rightfully — centers around the performance of starter Nate Ackenhausen, Riley Cooper deserves just as much credit.
Coming in as a reliever to finish up the game, Cooper was the only bullpen arm the Tigers had to use on Tuesday. He was fantastic, throwing three innings while allowing only a pair of hits and no runs.
LSU had other options with Blake Money and Gavin Guidry both getting warm in the bullpen, but coach Jay Johnson said he ultimately went to (and stuck with) Cooper because he felt Cooper was the most similar to Ackenhausen, who had been dominating.
“Blake had been throwing the ball really, really well,” Johnson said, per On3. “He was definitely part of the plan tonight. I didn’t think they were seeing Nate well, and I think Riley is about as comparable and close to Nate as possible and I wanted to stay with that look because they were in between.
“And, you know, when you’re pressing a little bit, when you’re in an elimination game, and you’re trying to chase runs late, he’s the type of pitcher that if you give him an inch he can take a mile, and he did what he did tonight.”
Tuesday night’s game went about as well as possible for the Tigers, who preserved most of their arms heading into Wednesday’s rematch against Wake Forest. If they can win that game, they may be able to get Paul Skenes back for a decisive if-necessary game on Thursday.
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PHOTOS: LSU shuts out Tennessee to stay alive in College World Series
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