BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — For the first time since 1997, the LSU baseball team opened the Southeastern Conference Tournament with a victory, this time over seventh-seeded Georgia, 11-3, in a “mercy-rule” ended eight-inning game at Birmingham’s Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
SEC Tournament rules end games if one team holds an eight-run lead after seven innings. With runners on second and third and two outs, a double by Ray Wright in the bottom of the eighth scored Brad Hawpe to end the game.
After getting 18 hits in the win, LSU advanced to play sixth-seeded Alabama in the second round of the 2000 conference tournament Thursday at 5 p.m. CDT. Listen to the game live right here on LSUsports.net or watch the live streaming video is you are a member of the eTigers’ Den.
Wednesday’s game marked the first meeting between the Tigers and Bulldogs in the SEC Tournament since 1992 when LSU beat Georgia, 5-3. Behind first-year head coach Ron Polk, Georgia made its first appearance in the eight-team tournament since 1995.
For the 12th straight season, LSU (40-18) won its 40th game as starter Brian Tallet improved to 12-3 on the season with the victory. Tallet pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up only three runs (none earned) on four hits while striking out 10 and walking two. Four Tiger errors led to Georgia’s three runs in the fourth and sixth innings.
Relievers Weylin Guidry (1/3 of an inning) and Shane Youman (one inning) also pitched for the Tigers.
LSU right fielder Jeremy Witten went 2-for-3 with four RBI, while Brad Cresse (3-for-5), Blair Barbier (2-for-4), Brad Hawpe (2-for-5) and Wally Pontiff (2-for-4) each had a multi-hit game in the victory.
Georgia’s Chris Clark was pulled from the game after allowing six two-out runs in the fifth inning to fall behind 7-2. Clark received the loss after allowing seven earned runs on 11 Tiger hits over 4 2/3 innings.
After failing to score with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, LSU put its first run on the board in the bottom of the second when Jeff Lipari got his first of three hits, advanced to second on a walk to Jeremy Witten and scored on an RBI single by Ryan Theriot.
Georgia took the lead from Tallet and the Tigers in the top of the fourth when a Blair Barbier error allowed Jeff Keppinger to reach second base. After Doc Brooks walked, Keppinger advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and both he and Brooks scored when Tallet’s throw to third sailed into left field.
The Tigers then mounted a two-out attack in the sixth inning with six consecutive hits to score six runs. Theriot walked to open the inning and then scored on an RBI single by Hawpe. A Barbier double scored Hawpe and a Mike Fontenot single scored Barbier. Wally Pontiff put runners on the corners with a single and Jeff Liapri then doubled home Fontenot. Witten capped the inning with a two-run single to give LSU a 7-2 lead.
After Georgia scored another unearned run on a Barier error in the sixth, LSU scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh and the eighth to end the game.