BATON ROUGE — South Carolina would get seven runs on seven hits against three Tiger pitchers in the seventh inning to take a commanding 9-5 lead and hold on to avoid the weekend series, 9-7, Sunday afternoon at Alex Box Stadium.
The Tigers (18-9, 5-3 SEC) struggled to get key hits in the series finale, leaving 12 runners on base after picking up 11 hits. LSU lost for the first time in eight games.
South Carolina improved to 24-3 on the season including 6-3 in SEC play.
Bo Pettit, who gave up the first four runs in the seventh, received the loss for the Tigers and fell to 2-2 on the season, while USC’s Jamie Poston improved to 3-0 after pitching only 2/3 of an inning in relief.
LSU starter Brian Tallet pitched well in six innings and exited the game with a 5-2 lead, however, the bullpen couldn’t hold on to the lead in the final three innings.
LSU would strike first, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first. Mike Fontenot reached base on an infield single and advanced to second when Meyer’s throw sailed over the head of first baseman Tripp Kelly into the LSU dugout. Fontenot then advanced to third on a balk by Price, his first of the season. Brad Cresse and Brad Hawpe would walk to load the bases with one out.
Barbier would then line a single into right field for his 24th RBI of the season and a 1-0 lead. The next batter up for the Tigers, Johnny Thibodeaux, would hit a sacrifice fly to score Cresse before Jeremy Witten singled to center to drive in Hawpe for a 3-0 lead.
The Gamecocks would cut into the LSU lead with two outs in the top of the fourth, as designated hitter Trey Dyson hit his second home run in only 26 at bats this season over the right-center field wall to make the score 3-2.
In the bottom of the fourth, LSU would attempt to answer USC’s run with the bases loaded and two outs. But, Fontenot flew out to shallow left field to end the threat and fall to 0-for-4 on the season with the bases loaded.
After walking in the first inning, Cresse would extend his hitting streak to 20 games and advance to third on a wild pitch and a ground out by Hawpe. With a 2-0 count to Barbier, Price was lifted in favor of Ernie Bascuas, a righthander who made his 10 appearance of the season. Barbier would walk and Thibodeaux would strikeout to put runners on the corners with two outs.
USC starter Brett Price entered the game with a minute 0.56 ERA, however, after giving up four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings pitched, his ERA jumped to 2.21.
Witten would the drive in his second run of the game by hitting a single up the middle to drive in Cresse from third, and Ray Wright would get an infield single to load the bases. With Jorgensen at the plate, Barbier would score from third on a passed ball to put LSU up 5-2 before Jorgensen grounded out to short to end the inning.
LSU put together another threat in the sixth with runners at first and second and one out, driving Bascuas from the game. But, Barbier would line into a 5-4-3 double play against reliever Jamie Poston to get USC out of the inning.
Bascuas would throw only one scoreless inning while giving up two hits and two walks. He struck out one batter.
LSU would also switch pitchers to start the seventh inning, as righthander Bo Pettit entered the game in relief of Tallet. Tallet would pitch six innings, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks (the first two batters of the game) and eight strikeouts.
Pettit would have a tough time on the mound, giving up a double to the first batter he faced, Dyson, before plugging Chris Plummer in the head on a 1-1 pitch. John McHenry would then pick up his third hit in as many at bats to load the bases for Marcus McBeth who would drive in Dyson from third with a single to left.
Tim Nugent became the ninth pitcher the Tigers used on the weekend, as he entered in relief of Pettit who left the bases loaded with no outs. On Nugent’s second pitch, Janowicz nearly took off his head with a liner back up the middle, scoring two and tying the game at 5-5.
After striking out Meyer, Nugent would allow a base hit to Dees and give up the lead with only one out, thus closing the book on Pettit’s outing. Pettit would be charged with four earned runs on three hits without getting a batter out.
With runners on first and third, USC would score its seventh run on a double steal before Brandon Pack launched his ninth home run of the season to give the Gamecocks a 9-5 lead. After giving up three runs on three hits in 1/3 of an inning, Nugent was relieved by Hunter Gomez. Gomez gave up a double to Kelly before Dyson lined into a double play to end the inning.
Down four runs, the Tigers would try to come back for the third time in as many games. In the bottom of the seventh, pinch hitter Wally Pontiff would single up the middle and Witten, the hero of Friday night’s ninth-inning comeback, would hit his second home run of the series and his third of the season to bring LSU within two, 9-7.
Poston then lifted for John Wesley, the loser of Saturday night’s 7-6 comeback win by LSU. He would strikeout the first two Tigers before Theriot ripped a double down the left-field line and Fontenot walked on four pitches to bring up Cresse.
Cresse, who hit the game winner against Wesley Saturday, was intentionally walked to load the bases for Hawpe. Hawpe, batting 2-for-11 in the series, would hit a warning-track fly ball that was caught by a leaping McBeth to end the inning.
LSU returns to action Tuesday night at 7 p.m. against Centenary in Shreveport, La. The Tigers’ next home game is April 5 against Southern University, a make-up game for the Tigers’ rain-out against Vanderbilt on March 19. Tickets to the previously unscheduled Southern game are available at the LSU Ticket Office by calling 225-388-2184.