NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Interstat) — In a wild, back-and-forth affair that defied projections and stretched into the evening, Logan Johnstone launched a two-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to cap a furious Vanderbilt rally, lifting the Commodores to a 13-12 victory over LSU on Friday at Ken Dugan Field at Stephen Lee Marsh Stadium.

The game, a Southeastern Conference opener for both teams, saw the Tigers build a commanding early lead, only to watch Vanderbilt erase a 10-run deficit before Johnstone’s final blow against reliever Griffin Guidry.

LSU appeared to have the game in hand after a five-run top of the eighth inning gave it a 12-10 lead. Derek Curiel provided the key hit in that frame, a two-run double to center that scored Ashton Stanfield and Jake Brown. Two more runs scored on a combination of a wild pitch and a passed ball, seemingly providing the Tigers a crucial cushion.

Vanderbilt, however, mounted its final comeback in the ninth. Pinch-hitter Braden Goodin led off with a single, and Matt Rigdon followed with another single. After a passed ball advanced both runners, Brodie Johnston drove in one run with a sacrifice fly to center, making it 12-11. Following a strikeout, Johnstone stepped in and sent a 1-1 pitch deep over the wall in right-center field, setting off a celebration at home plate and handing LSU a stunning loss.

The most important part of the game was undoubtedly Vanderbilt’s eight-run bottom of the fourth inning, which completely reset the contest after LSU had stormed to a 10-2 advantage. The Tigers had battered Vanderbilt starter JD Thompson, highlighted by a three-run homer from Jake Brown in the second inning and a three-run double from pinch-hitter Seth Dardar in the fifth.

But the Commodores sent 13 men to the plate in the fourth, leveraging patience and timely hitting against three LSU pitchers. The inning featured five walks, a hit batter, and a two-run single from Johnston that tied the game at 10-10. The rally was finally halted by LSU reliever Zac Cowan, who entered with the bases loaded and two outs and got Johnstone to fly out. Cowan provided critical stability for the Tigers, throwing 3 1/3 innings of hitless, scoreless relief with five strikeouts, which allowed LSU to later reclaim the lead.

The Tigers out-hit the Commodores 13-10 but were plagued by 16 strikeouts and missed opportunities late. Brown led LSU’s offense, going 3 for 5 with the home run and three RBIs. Curiel added two hits and three RBIs, while Dardar drove in three on his key double.

For Vanderbilt, Johnston drove in four runs, including the crucial sacrifice fly in the ninth. Mike Mancini had two hits and two RBIs, and Rigdon scored three times, including the winning run. Reliever Luke Guth earned the win with two scoreless innings, while Nate Schlote pitched a perfect ninth to set the stage for the comeback.

The loss dropped LSU to 13-6 overall and 0-1 in the SEC. Vanderbilt improved to 12-7 and 1-0. The teams continue their three-game series Saturday afternoon.

The result flipped the pregame projections from Interstat, whose game simulator had predicted a 6-5 LSU victory and gave the Tigers a 53.2% probability to win.