Baseball Pounds LSU, 17-6
4/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BATON ROUGE, La. -- The hitting barrage for the No. 8 University of Alabama baseball team began on the second pitch of the game and ended some three hours later after the Crimson Tide had crusted to a 16-6 win over No. 20 LSU at Alex Box Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Alabama battered six LSU pitchers for season highs in runs (16) and hits (27) as the Crimson Tide put an end to four-game losing streak in Baton Rouge that dated back to the 2004 season. The 16 runs were the most by the Crimson Tide since a 19-0 win over Auburn on April 19, 2004. The 27 hits were the most since a 28-hit attack at UAB on April 14, 1999. Bama also had 28 hits in a 28-2 win over LSU during the 1997 season.
All nine starters had at least two hits in the lopsided win over LSU. The hit breakdown included 18 singles, six doubles and three home runs under windy conditions at Alex Box Stadium. The two teams combined for 37 hits, including 16 extra base hits as the winds gusted to 30 mph out to center field. Alabama head coach Jim Wells tinkered with his starting lineup on Sunday as he moved Alex Avila into three-hole and dropped Evan Bush into the five-hole in the order.
The results paid huge dividends as the middle of the Crimson Tide's batting order -- Alex Avila, Kody Valverde and Evan Bush -- were a combined 12-for-14 with 11 runs scored and 12 RBI in the win over LSU.
Avila was 4-for-4 and scored four runs as he batted third in the order for the first time this season. Valverde went 4-for-5 with two doubles, four runs scored and four RBI. Bush had the biggest day on offense going 4-for-5 with three runs scored, two home runs and seven RBI. Bush recorded his third career multi home run game on Sunday at LSU. He also hit two home runs against UL Lafayette in the 2005 NCAA New Orleans Regional and earlier this season against Ole Miss. Bush is the first UA player to have seven RBI in a game since Beau Hearod had seven RBI in win over UMass on March 9, 2003.
"It was nice to have a good day today," Bush said after his four-hit, seven RBI game. "Now, we can roll into the Vanderbilt series next week with some confidence. It was a rough weekend for me. It was not like I was not seeing the ball that badly."
Junior center fielder Emeel Salem was 4-for-6 in the win and should have tied the UA single-game record with five hits had an infield single not been scored a fielder's choice in the first inning.
Alabama (27-12, 10-5 SEC) opened the game with seven consecutive hits, falling one short of the single-game UA record, to take a 5-0 lead and knock Derik Olvey out of the game before the Pelham, Ala., native could record an out. Salem led off with a double and moved to third on Downs' single to right.
Avila and Valverde then followed with RBI singles before Bush put the Tide in front 5-0 with a three-run home run down the left field line. It was his fifth home run of the season and first hit of the series. Belcher then singled up the middle to knock Olvey out the game.
Olvey (6-2) was charged with five runs and six hits in six batters faced. Pennington greeted reliever Darryl Shaffer with a base hit and Rhoden moved both runners into scoring position with a sac bunt. Belcher was thrown out at home on Paiml's ground ball to short and after Salem reached on a fielder's choice, Downs ended the inning with a ground out as UA left the bases loaded.
Alabama opened the game with seven consecutive hits, missing the school record for consecutive hits in an inning by one. The Crimson Tide had eight straight hits in an inning against Samford (April 17, 1991), Alcorn State (April 5, 1994) and St. Louis (March 8, 1994). The eight straight hits against Samford in 1991 were the first eight batters of the game. The Alcorn State and St. Louis games were both in the seventh inning.
The near-record setting inning consisted of seven hits from Salem (double), Downs (single), Avila (RBI single), Valverde (RBI single), Bush (3-run HR), Belcher (single) and Pennington (single). Rhoden's sac bunt ended the streak of seven straight hits.
LSU (26-12, 6-9 SEC) quickly got back in the game in the bottom of the inning by scoring three runs, but left two men on base. J.T. Wise had an RBI double and Matt Liuzza slammed a two-run home run to make it a 5-3 game.
Alabama put five more runs on the board in the third inning to extend its lead to 10-3. Downs plated the first run with an RBI single and Salem scored on balk to give the Tide a 7-3 lead. Avila followed with an RBI single and Bush added his second home run of the game, a two-run blast to left to put the Tide up by seven runs.
Quinn Stewart led off the bottom of the inning with his 16th home run of the season, a wind-blown pop up to right center field. Liuzza reached on a one-out error by Bush and scored on Jordan Mayer's two-out double to close the gap to 10-5. LSU cut the margin to 10-6 in the fourth inning when Bruce Sprowl drew a two-out walk and scored on Stewart's triple off the center field wall.
Alabama answered back with a pair of two-out runs in the fifth to take a 12-6 lead. Avila drilled a two-out, two-strike single into center field and scored on Valverde's fly ball to right was lost in the sun by Stewart and ruled an RBI double. Bush then slammed a single to left field for his sixth RBI of the game to put the Tide up by six runs.
The Crimson Tide on slaught continued with four more runs in the seventh inning against Edgar Ramirez. Avila, Valverde and Bush ripped three straight doubles and Belcher capped the inning with a towering two-run home run off the scoreboard to give the Tide a 16-6 lead. It was Belcher's first home run of the season and third of his career. It was his first home run in 66 games and 152 at-bats, dating back to the 2003 season.
Belcher singled and scored on Salem's fourth hit of the game in the ninth to make the final 17-6.
UA freshman right-hander Tommy Hunter (6-2) allowed six runs (five earned) and 10 hits in seven innings for the win. He added three walks and five strikeouts. Senior right-hander Jordan Davis ran his streak of consecutive innings without an earned run to 12 straight with two scoreless innings. He retired all six batters he faced and fanned two LSU hitters.
Alabama owns a two-game lead over second-place Arkansas in the SEC Western Division race at midpoint of the 2006 regular season. The Crimson Tide is one game behind overall league leader South Carolina (11-4 SEC), who lost 11-6 at home to Ole Miss on Sunday.
The Crimson Tide returns home this Wednesday, April 19 as they host Mississippi Valley State in a 6:30 p.m. game at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. After a seven-game road trip, Alabama will be playing at home for the first time since April 5. The Crimson Tide also home the next two weekends in SEC play against Vanderbilt (April 21-23) and Auburn (April 28-30).
