2025 College World Series score, results: LSU takes Game 1 vs. Coastal Carolina with stunning pitching display

LSU's Kade Anderson dominated the Chanticleers on the mound on Saturday in Omaha

LSU's Kade Anderson pitched like an ace in Game 1 of the College World Series finals on Saturday and won the duel with Coastal Carolina's Cameron Flukey. Anderson tossed a complete-game shutout in the 1-0 victory. The Tigers stepped into the driver's seat in search of the 2025 national championship and are just one win away from their eight title in school history.

Anderson threw 130 pitches and blanked the red-hot Chanticleers, who carried a spectacular 26-game winning streak into the first game of the championship series. The southpaw fanned 10 batters and allowed just six hits en route to the victory, putting a bow on a stellar individual season in which Anderson established himself as one of the top targets in July's MLB Draft.

While Flukey also held up his end of the bargain in the pitcher's duel, the one run he surrendered in the opening frame proved to be the decisive blow. He received no run support from his bats and took a tough-luck loss despite throwing a six-inning gem of his own.

The Chanticleers must win in Sunday's Game 2 to force a rubber match, or else the trophy heads back to Baton Rouge for the second time in three years.

[Jun 21, 2025 at 9:48 pm ET · Carter Bahns]

LSU takes Game 1 behind Anderson's complete-game shutout

Final: LSU 1, Coastal Carolina 0

Anderson threw 130 pitches and blanked the red-hot Chanticleers with 10 strikeouts and six hits allowed. It was the second complete-game shutout of his career and placed the Tigers one win away from the eighth national championship in program history. One run of support was all the lefty needed to stay unbeaten in Omaha, and it came all the way back in the first inning.

[Jun 21, 2025 at 9:13 pm ET · Carter Bahns]

Coastal Carolina first to use bullpen

Bottom 7: LSU 1, Coastal Carolina 0

The first of the two outstanding starters is out of the game. Coastal Carolina replaced Flukey with one of its countless shutdown relievers in lefty Dominick Carbone, who boasts a 2.48 ERA and has yet to allow a run in Omaha. That closes the book on Flukey at six innings. He is on the hook for the loss after he surrendered the first-inning run, but he limited the Tigers to just four hits and fanned nine batters on 101 pitches.

[Jun 21, 2025 at 8:38 pm ET · Carter Bahns]

Tigers maintain control at midway point

Mid 5: LSU 1, Coastal Carolina 0

The pitchers lived up to the hype across four and a half frames as they combined for 13 strikeouts and surrendered just five hits. Flukey bounced back from the one-run first to keep LSU off the board over the ensuing three innings, but his offense could not manage to rally against Anderson.

The Chanticleers threatened to draw even but stranded six baserunners and in the third inning recorded a pair of outs at third base — one on a fielder's choice and the other on a failed steal attempt.

[Jun 21, 2025 at 7:36 pm ET · Carter Bahns]

LSU on the board first in B1

End 1: LSU 1, Coastal Carolina 0

LSU needed little time to strike first in the CWS finals. Steven Milam drove in the series' first run with an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning, scoring Derek Curiel from second base. The leadoff walk to Curiel came back to bite Cameron Flukey, who on the year had only allowed 22 free passes across 95.2 innings of work.

[Jun 21, 2025 at 7:25 pm ET · Carter Bahns]

Anderson strands two to get Game 1 underway

Game 1 is off and running in Omaha. Kade Anderson walked a pair of Chanticleers but fanned the final batter he faced in the top of the first inning. A passed ball moved the first runner into scoring position, but Coastal Carolina could not capitalize on the early opportunity.

[Jun 21, 2025 at 6:30 pm ET · Carter Bahns]

Elite pitching staffs take center stage

Saturday's series opener features a pair of outstanding starters, and the pitching depth in this matchup goes well beyond Kade Anderson and Cameron Flukey. MLB Draft targets are aplenty across the two staffs, both of which rank in the top 10 nationally in team ERA. Game 1 looks like a pitcher's duel in the making, and with Jacob Morrison and Anthony Eyanson scheduled to toe the rubber in Game 2 for Coastal Carolina and LSU, respectively, things could get even more defensive as the weekend continues.

Will Backus explains why this could be the best pitching matchup the CWS has ever seen:

College World Series 2025: Why Coastal Carolina vs. LSU promises to deliver all-time pitching clinic

Will Backus

[Jun 21, 2025 at 6:05 pm ET · Carter Bahns]

CWS finals Game 1 best bets

Coastal Carolina coach Kevin Schnall emphasized after his debut Chanticleers squad punched its ticket to Omaha that "This is no Cinderella." The Sun Belt champions are underdogs, though, in the CWS finals. LSU is a -166 favorite to take Game 1, via DraftKings Sportsbook, and is the team to beat in the series as a whole.

Matt Severance shares picks for Game 1 and for the series:

2025 College World Series championship series Game 1 odds, picks for LSU vs. Coastal Carolina

Matt Severance