TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Tim Nugent allowed three hits over seven innings, while Matt Heath and Mike Fontenot added home runs to propel LSU (#3 Collegiate Baseball, #5 Baseball America and Baseball Weekly) to an 8-3 victory over Alabama Sunday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium, completing a three-game Southeastern Conference sweep.
The sweep is LSU’s second conference sweep of the season, but the first for LSU on the road since March 27-29, 1998 at Kentucky. It is also LSU’s first sweep of Alabama since 1989 at Alex Box Stadium, and the first in Tuscaloosa since 1988.
For the Crimson Tide (26-22, 10-14 SEC), it marked the first time they have been swept in an SEC home series since Jim Wells became Alabama’s coach in 1995. The Tide has lost eight straight conference games and is danger of missing the SEC Tournament for the first time since 1992.
Adding to the Tide’s woes was a 93-minute rain delay in the top of the eighth inning, which included several spectacular lightning strikes and a brief period of heavy rain. Under SEC rules, the game had to be resumed by 6 p.m. to avoid it being called, and the game was indeed resumed at 4:58 local time.
Combined with Ole Miss’ 7-3 loss at Vanderbilt, the Tigers (35-13-1, 17-7) are now in sole possession of first place in the SEC by one game over the Rebels and two games over Georgia, which leads the SEC East following its three-game sweep at Tennessee.
LSU plays its final non-conference game on Tuesday when they take on New Orleans at Zephyr Field at 6:30 p.m. The Tigers travel to Arkansas next weekend and close the season at home May 11-13 against Auburn.
The Tigers got out in front in the first on a two-run single by Zeph Zinsman. Alabama starter Jeremy Vaughn got the first two batters of the game, but then he gave up a single to Wally Pontiff, hit Bryan Moore and walked Todd Linden to load the bases for the Tiger designated hitter, who put LSU ahead 2-0.
Alabama manufactured a run in the third, as Peter Stonard walked, stole second, went to third on a balk by Tim Nugent then scored on Scott Evans’ ground ball to short.
However, Stonard would be the only Tide baserunner to advance past first base until the eighth, as senior Nugent allowed just one walk and three singles over seven innings to improve to 6-1 on the season.
Nugent was forced to leave the game due to the lengthy rain delay once the contest resumed.
LSU would pad its lead in the fourth. Matt Heath led off with a home run, his second of the series, and Sean Barker followed with a single. David Raymer sacrificed Barker to third, and two batters later, Mike Fontenot’s single past a diving Brent Boyd scored Barker to make it 4-0.
The Tigers got their final official run of the game in the sixth when Pontiff singled past Boyd to score Barker, who drew a leadoff walk and was advanced along by bunts from Raymer and Theriot.
Raymer led off the eighth with a double and scored on a wild pitch before Fonenot homered to left just before the rain delay started.
Alabama suffered its third ejection of the series in the sixth when third base coach Mitch Gaspard was ejected by home plate umpire Tom McKinney for arguing a called strike to Casey Lambert. Gaspard was serving as acting head coach for Jim Wells, who under NCAA rules was suspended for this game after being ejected along with pitcher Mark Carter when Carter drilled Moore on Saturday.