LSU and Oregon State meet on Monday afternoon with the Beavers in need of two wins to advance out of the Baton Rouge Regional while the No. 5 seed Tigers need only one win to advance.
The Beavers bolster one of the best pitching rotations in the country, but LSU is arguably the most talented with elite hitting and pitching metrics. Can the Beavers extend its season with a standout pitching performance?
Here are the odds for Monday's first matchup:
LSU vs. Oregon State odds, run line and total
LSU vs. Oregon State prediction and pick
I think the Beavers are being undervalued as massive underdogs against LSU. Oregon State played LSU close in the first meeting on Sunday, losing 6-5 after the Tigers homered in the eighth to pull ahead, outhitting the vaunted Bayou Bengals 13-10 but left 12 runners on base.
Oregon State entered the postseason as a top 10 defensive club and with the 23rd best ERA in college baseball. While the offense lacks the pop that LSU has, the Tigers were third in home runs per game in the regular season, Oregon State is top 40 in on-base percentage, a formidable offensive club.
While LSU is a talented team, it was middle of the road in terms of defense, ranking outside the top 80 in fielding percentage. I believe the Beavers can find cracks in the Tigers defense to generate run scoring chances.
The first game was tight, and I think taking a shot at LSU in the first game is worthwhile given that Oregon State played this team tight and has a pitching edge.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
