BIRMINGHAM — The LSU baseball team advanced to the championship game of the Southeastern Conference Tournament by beating Alabama, 6-5, Saturday afternoon in Birmingham.
The Tigers (42-17) will play for its first championship since 1994 against the winner of Florida and South Carolina at 3 p.m. Sunday at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Alabama (38-22) will await a regional bid Monday.
After Ben Saxon started and pitched 6 1/3 innings, Shane Youman came in relief in the seventh, pitched 2 2/3 innings and earned the win.
Alabama reliever Michael Rainwater received the loss after pitching well in 5 1/3 innings. He fell to 1-1 on the season.
LSU beat Alabama for the fourth time in five contests this season.
LSU took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Brad Cresse launched his 25th home run just one pitch after Cedrick Harris was caught stealing second.
The Tigers extended the lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the second on a two-RBI double by Cedrick Harris.
Alabama came back to tie the game in the top of the third with three runs of their own off of Tiger starter Ben Saxon.
In the sixth inning, LSU took at 4-3 lead when Mike Fontenot doubled to open the inning and advanced to third on a Texas Leaguer by Blair Barbier. Fontenot then scored on a sacrifice fly by Wally Pontiff.
Brad Hawpe singled and advanced to second when Fontenot reached on an error in the bottom of the eighth inning. Barbier advanced Hawpe and Fontenot to second and third with a perfectly-executed sacrifice bunt down the third base line before Pontiff was walked intentionally to load the bases. Billy McBride pinch ran for Pontiff at first.
With the game tied at 4-4, Ray Wright hit a double-play ground ball to short, however, the relay throw to first sailed into the dugout allowing Hawpe and Fontenot to score.
Alabama cut the lead to 6-5 with an RBI single up the middle in the top of the ninth.
The game was delayed a half hour due to rain in the seventh inning.