LSU baseball pitcher Kade Anderson turned in a standout effort on Thursday against No. 9 Oklahoma. In the 2-0 victory, he went the distance and struck out a career-high 14 batters.
The Tigers' ace credited pitching coach Nate Yeskie and his teammates for giving him the confidence to succeed on the mound, especially after getting into a jam with the bases loaded and one out in the first inning.
"After the first inning, it could've gone a completely different way," Anderson said. "To get through every inning one at a time and not think about the next one was crucial tonight."
Prior to Thursday, the longest Anderson threw in a game was 6.1 innings. He allowed just five hits and two walks, throwing 91 of his 135 pitches for strikes. It is the first complete game recorded by an LSU pitcher since Paul Skenes did so in an NCAA regional contest against Tulane.
Knowing he had eight days of rest before his next start, the sophomore lefty gave everything he had against the Sooners. He relied on his ability to get strikes early in the count and not looking past any batter.
"I thought I was done in the seventh," Anderson said. "Go one pitch at a time. The first pitch strike is all that matters. Just get through one guy at a time and it paid off."
LSU baseball will return to action for game two on Friday night. Anthony Eyanson will get the start.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: What LSU baseball's Kade Anderson said after shutting out Oklahoma
