Clouds Break as LeBlanc Leads Bama Past LSU, 8-2
5/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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BATON ROUGE, La. - Alabama freshman left-hander Wade LeBlanc stymied LSU hitters and the Crimson Tide bats awakened in the first game of the series, accounting for an 8-2 Alabama victory at Alex Box Stadium on Saturday.
Alabama improved to 26-18 overall with the win and climbed to 7-12 in the Southeastern Conference. No. 6 LSU fell to 32-12 with a 10-9 mark in conference play.
After rain had postponed game one in the series until Saturday, imposing again weather forced the second game of the scheduled double-header to be postponed, and the squads are now set to play two seven-inning games beginning at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
LeBlanc, a Lake Charles, La. native, went the distance for the Tide, registering his league-leading sixth complete game, and allowing just two runs off five hits to LSU, the SEC leaders in batting average, runs scored and RBI.
LeBlanc was untouchable through the first four innings, not allowing a base runner. Jon Zeringue earned a walk to lead off LSU's half of the fifth inning and advanced to second on a passed ball before and Clay Harris doubled for the Tigers' first hit of the game, driving in LSU's first run.
"In the first four innings (LeBlanc) was `lights out'," Alabama head coach Jim Wells said. "He was keeping it down in the zone and throwing all his pitches for strikes. He didn't pitch all that well in the last five innings, but he's a great competitor."
Alabama did most of its damage in the top of the third, sending ten batters to the plate, with a combination of two LSU miscues and hot Bama bats leading to six runs in the frame.
Mark Haske led off the inning with a double to left-center and scored when LSU starting pitcher Clay Dirks threw errantly past first base on Carlos Sosa's sacrifice bunt. After Evan Bush walked and Gabe Scott sacrificed runners to second and third, Zac Welch hit a two-run double to extend the Tide lead to a 4-0 margin. Rocky Scelfo then smacked a two-run double in the inning after Michael McCallister reached on an error by LSU shortstop Derek Hebert.
On the next play, Scelfo slid safely into third under Hebert's throw on a ground ball from Greg Paiml, leaving runners at first and third. An attempted pickoff turned into a doubles steal as Scelfo broke for home and scored as Will Harris' throw from first deflected off Paiml on his way into second.
"We got a lot of key bunts down and got some key hits in that inning," Wells said. That hasn't really happened much for us this year."
LeBlanc registered his first win in over a month, with his last coming on March 27 versus Ole Miss. He improved his record to 6-4, while lowering his SEC-leading ERA to 1.73. Dirks (8-1) took the loss for LSU, his first of the season. Jordan Faircloth worked five and two thirds innings in relief for LSU, giving up four hits and one run.
LeBlanc's only other whiff of trouble came in the bottom of the eighth inning when LSU plated a run off two hits around two fly outs. J.C. Holt then walked, putting runners on first and second before Ryan Patters popped out to second to end the threat.
"The main thing I had to do was keep the ball down," LeBlanc said. "I did that pretty well, except for the innings they scored their two runs. They're a good fastball hitting team and can pick up on breaking balls pretty well, too. The ability to throw the change-up for a strike is what really helped me out today."
Alabama mustered its first run in the top of the second inning when Greg Paiml's two-out seeing-eye single between the first and second basemen drove in Zac Welch from third, who had singled to lead off the inning. Welch was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Michael McCallister before tagging up on Rocky Scelfo's fly out to center field to advance to third.
Alabama's Welch, Bush, Scelfo and Paiml all had multiple hits in the game, while Haske, Matt Grooms, Welch, McCallister and Scelfo had doubles.
Game Notes
** Alabama assistant coach Jim Gatewood did not make the trip to Baton Rouge in order to be with his family as his mother, Bonnie Gatewood, who passed away on Friday morning at 2 a.m. in Arkansas. Memorial services for Mrs. Gatewood will be on Monday.
** Rocky Scelfo doubled in the 3rd inning and singled in the 8th, marking his 15th multi-hit game of the season.
** Alabama is trying for its first Southeastern Conference series win since a three-game sweep of Arkansas on April 25-27, 2003 (nine SEC series), and its first SEC series win on the road in its last 11 SEC road trips.
** After winning three straight series in Baton Rouge from 1993-96, Alabama has lost its last three series in Baton Rouge.
