LSU Tigers Even Series With 10-6 Win Over Tide
8/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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TUSCALOOSA -- The No. 12 LSU Tigers made the most of its scoring opportunties, posting a 10-6 win over the No. 16 Alabama Crimson Tide in front of a stadium record crowd of 6,621 at Sewell-Thomas Stadium Saturday afternoon.
LSU (17-9-1, 6-1-1 SEC) got two hits and four RBI from second baseman Blake Gill and two hits and three RBI from third baseman Ivan Naccarata to even up the best of three series.
The Tigers collected two hits and five RBI with the bases loaded against Alabama and scored 10 runs on 11 hits in the game. The Tigers also scored nine of their 10 runs with two outs.
Alabama, on the other hand, was not as fortunate.
The Crimson Tide (20-6, 5-3 SEC) struggled on offense the entire game and could not take advantage of the numerous opportunites to score runs.
UA had only one hit in four opportunites with the bases loaded, scoring just two runs in the loss. The Crimson Tide left the bases loaded in the first and third innings as they left 14 men on base in the loss.
Bama stranded eight of those 14 runners in scoring position and collected just two hits in 12 chanes with runners in scoring position.
"The key to the game was poor starting pitching and too many men left on base," Alabama coach Jim Wells said. "LSU did a good job at the making the most of their opportunites and scoring runs today. We had our chances, but did not get the big hit."
Sophomore first baseman Zac Welch paced UA's 11-hit attack with three singles and two RBI in the loss. Senior center fielder Travis Garner had two hits and extended his hitting streak to 16 games, the longest by an Alabama player this year.
For the second straight game, Alabama scored in its first at-bat to take an early 2-0 lead.
Garner opened the game with a four-pitch walk and scored on Allen Rice's triple into the left field corner. After a strikeout of Adam Pavkovich, right fielder Beau Hearod followed with a single to left field scoring Rice to give UA a 2-0 lead.
The Crimson Tide loaded the bases with one out against starter Bo Pettit and threatened to blow the game open in the very first inning. Pettit got out the jam when Al Hecklinski popped up a 2-0 pitch to second baseman Blake Gill and Charlie Lyons struck out to end the inning.
Pettit allowed three hits and walked two batters as hie survived the 33-pitch first inning, but trailed only 2-0.
LSU hit two home runs off losing pitcher Brent Carter in the third inning to take a 4-2 lead. Jon Zeringue started the scoring with a solo home run to right center field. Zeringue has homered in three straight games and four of his last five for the Tigers. The solo shot was his fifth of the year.
Matt Liuzza followed with a base hit to left field, but Carter then got two outs before Aaron Hill drew a two-out walk, the first allowed by Carter in 26 innings and just his fourth walk of the season. After the walk, Ivan Naccarata homered to right field giving LSU its first lead of the series at 4-2.
The Crimson Tide offense continued its struggles, leaving two runners on base in the third inning and stranding the bases loaded for the second time in the game in the fourth inning.
LSU delivered the knockout punch in the fifth inning as Gill extended the lead to 7-2 with a bases loaded triple down the right field line.
J.C. Holt started the two-out rally with the bunt single that hugged the foul line and finally hit the third base bag. Hill then blooped a single into left field and Naccarata drew a walk to load the bases for Gill.
The three-run triple chased Carter (4-3), who lost for the second straight Saturday. The left-hander allowed seven earned runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, adding two walks and three strikeouts.
Alabama got two runs back as Welch singled up the middle with the bases loaded in the sixth inning to cut the LSU lead to 7-4 and chase Pettit from the game.
Pettit (5-0) labored all day and left after allowing four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. He added four strikeouts and walked a career-high nine UA batters. He threw 121 pitches and only 60 strikes, but got the win.
Jake Tompkins came in out of the bullpen and got Nathan Meiners to ground into an inning-ending double play to keep the lead at 7-4.
Tompkins earned his second save of the season, allowing only one run and four hits in 3 2/3 innings of relief. He walked one and added six strikeouts for the Tigers.
LSU extended its lead to 8-4 with an unearned run in seventh inning off Seth Johnson, who allowed three runs and four hits in 4 1/3 innings of relief.
Alabama got the run back in the eighth when Garner reached on a bunt single, moved to third on Pavkovich's double and scored on Welch's sac fly to center field.
Clay Harris' two-run bases loaded single in the ninth capped the scoring for the Tigers and extended the lead to 10-5.
Sophomore left fielder Gabe Scott made it a 10-6 game with a two-out home run in the ninth, the first of his career for the Crimson Tide.
The rubber game of this three-game series will take place at 2:07 p.m. (CT) on Sunday and the game will be televised by JUMBO Sports and Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast. Alabama is expected to send freshman right-hander Allen Ponder (2-1, 3.00 ERA) to the mound against LSU right-hander Nate Bumstead (2-1, 4.81 ERA).
