ATHENS, Ga. — The first stop on the Skip Bertman farewell tour was a long one for the Tigers, as the Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs played 33 innings of baseball in three days and Georgia came away from Sunday’s contest with a 4-3 win in 11 innings.
For the third consecutive game, LSU and Georgia played 11 innings of baseball, and for the second time in the weekend Georgia defeated the Tigers, 4-3, in the Southeastern Conference opening weekend.
Tiger starter Jason Scobie pitched nine strong innings to lead the way for the Tigers despite the no-decision. He allowed two runs (one earned) on eight hits while walking one and striking out two. Reliever Roy Corcoran entered to pitch the 1 2/3 innings of the extra frames and allowed only a walk. Brad David entered with two outs in the 11th but gave up a walk and a two-run double to take the loss and fall to 1-1.
Georgia reliever Jeffery Carswell pitched well in the ninth, 10th and 11th, to earn to victory after allowing only one run on one hit while striking out two and walking one.
LSU fell to 13-6-1 on the season and 1-2 in SEC play, while Georgia improved to 11-3 and 2-1 in the SEC.
The Tigers got on the broad first with a run in the top of the second against Georgia starter Brandon Moorhead when Bryan Moore doubled to leadoff the inning and advanced to third on a groundout by Todd Linden. Aaron Hill also grounded out to scored Moore from third.
Georgia answered with a leadoff homer by Doc Brooks off Scobie in the bottom of the frame to tie the game at 1-1.
The game went scoreless until the top of the sixth when Wally Pontiff hit a two-out fastball off the top of the scoreboard for a 2-1 lead.
Moorhead was relieved by Bill Sharpton in the top of the seventh after a base hit by Hill. Moorhead pitched 6 2/3 innings and gave up two earned runs on four hits while walking three and striking out nine.
A two-out error by Hill allowed Mark Thornhill to reach first leading to a game-tying double to left-center field by Blake Bodenmiller in the bottom of the eighth. Kris Edge earned his third hit in four at bats to put runners at the corners, but Scobie got Adam Swann to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.
Carswell entered to start the top of the ninth for Georgia faced the minimum. Scobie retired Georgia in order to send the game to extra innings.
Corcoran came in relief of Scobie to start the bottom of the 10th for the Tigers and retired the heart of the Georgia lineup in order.
Ray Wright opened the top of the 11th with a single through the hole and into left field. He then stole second on Carswell’s first pitch to Ryan Theriot. On the next pitch, Theriot hit a sacrifice bunt back to the pitcher to put Wright on third with one out. A 400-foot sacrifice fly by Pontiff scored Theriot from third and gave LSU a 3-2 lead.