by JOHN ZENOR
Associated Press Writer
HOOVER, Ala. — Freshman Wally Pontiff hit a first-inning grand slam and two LSU relievers stymied Florida’s rally hopes for an 9-6 victory in the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game on May 21.
The Tigers (43-17) scored seven runs in the first inning, and that proved enough for their first SEC Tournament title since 1994. They won all four of their tournament games, scoring 44 runs.
Coach Skip Bertman had the luxury of having two of his star pitchers fresh and ready in the bullpen late in the game.
Weylin Guidry faced six batters, getting a double play and four strikeouts in his only outing of the tournament. Then Brian Tallet pitched two scoreless innings to close out the game and earn his first save of the year.
The Gators (41-21-1) had a seven-game winning streak halted, committing five errors and walking eight batters.
Both coaches had to turn to little-used starters for their fourth game in five days, with predictable early results. The first inning lasted 42 minutes and saw nine runs scored.
Pontiff, the tournament Most Valuable Player, went 3-for-4 and greeted reliever Kenny Birch with a grand slam just inside the right-field foul pole in the first.
Jeremy Witten also had a two-run shot in the inning as LSU took a 7-2 lead.
The Tigers only had two hits in the first inning, the homers by Witten and Pontiff. The other run scored on a bases-loaded walk.
Florida scored three runs in the third and one in the fourth to make it 7-6.
LSU added an unearned run in the sixth, but Mike Fontenot was thrown out at home on a double steal that ended the inning. Earlier, the Tigers had two runners picked off first.
LSU’s Brad Hawpe set the SEC’s single-season doubles mark with his 32nd in the eighth inning. That eclipsed the record set by Georgia’s Doug Radziewicz in 1991 and Alabama’s Dave Magadan in 1983. Hawpe then scored on a single by Mike Fontenot.
Florida’s Tim Olson was 3-for-5 with a double, triple and two RBIs. Kurt Keene and Matt Goss both had two hits and scored twice.
Matt Siegel, who drove in five runs Saturday against South Carolina, hit a solo homer in the fourth. Florida wouldn’t score again, despite outhitting the Tigers 13-9.
Guidry entered the game with runners on first and second with nobody out in the sixth. He got Tim Olson to ground into a double play and struck out Peter Nystrom.
Guidry struck out the side in the seventh, allowing only a walk. He led the team with a 3.18 ERA in 26 appearances, but the Tigers hadn’t needed him in the first three tournament games.
Tallet, who pitched 6-2/3 innings against Georgia Wednesday, faced the minimum in the final two innings. He erased a leadoff walk in the eighth with a double play.
Hunter Gomez (9-1) allowed seven hits and one run in three innings of work to pick up the win.
Florida starter Stuart McFarland (1-1), who logged only 8-2/3 innings in the regular season, recorded one out and allowed six runs.
LSU’s Heath McMurray fared better, but also struggled. He was charged with five runs in two-plus innings.
Florida entered the game with a 3.12 tournament ERA, while LSU’s pitchers were a distance second at 5.54.
The Gators had won eight times in 11 previous tournament meetings with LSU.