BATON ROUGE — LSU retired outgoing coach Skip Bertman‘s jersey No. 15 prior to Friday’s Southeastern Conference game with Auburn, then the hosts proceeded to retire their three-game losing streak, as LSU scored seven runs in the second inning and never looked back en route to a 20-5 victory Friday night at Alex Box Stadium.
The 20-run uprising is LSU’s second of the season, joining a 24-5 win over Duquesne on February 24. The 20 runs are the most in an SEC game for LSU since a 27-6 win over Arkansas on March 22, 1998. LSU has scored 20 or more runs against Auburn one other time, in a 21-2 victory on May 8, 1993.
The win, combined with Ole Miss’ 6-3 loss to Mississippi State, gives LSU (37-16-1, 18-10 SEC) a share of the SEC Western Division championship, LSU’s eighth division crown since the SEC returned to divisional play in 1992.
LSU is also assured of one of the top two seeds in next week’s SEC Tournament at Birmingham, as LSU holds the tiebreaker over the Rebels by winning two of three last month.
However, LSU is still one game behind Georgia (39-15, 19-9) for the overall SEC lead, as the Bulldogs beat Kentucky 7-3 on Friday. LSU must win one more game than Georgia this weekend to have any hope of an overall title.
LSU (#7 Baseball Weekly, #8 Collegiate Baseball, #9 Baseball America) and Auburn play game two of the three-game weekend series Saturday at 4 p.m.
More festivities to honor Bertman are planned, highlighted by a presentation from Auburn coach Steve Renfroe.
Auburn (33-17, 13-15) appeared as if it might break the game open early, as Javon Moran and Mailon Kent led off the game with back-to-back singles, and Gabe Gross reached when LSU pitcher Lane Mestepey dropped a throw from Bryan Moore while covering first.
But as he did two weeks ago at Alabama, Mestepey got out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning. First, he fanned Todd Faulkner, then he got Trent Pratt to pop up to Moore in foul ground along first base, then ended the inning by getting Justin Christian to ground to second.
LSU capitalized on the momentum with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, as three straight singles produced a run when Bryan Moore plated Wally Pontiff with a base hit, then Mike Fontenot scored the second run on a wild pitch.
Auburn got on the board in the second on Kent’s RBI double, but then LSU put the game away with their first big uprising of the night. It started with back-to-back walks to Matt Heath and Sean Barker, then David Raymer deposited a 1-1 offering from Colby Paxton into the left-field bleachers for just his third home run of the season.
It would be the beginning of a big night for Raymer, as he would triple and add two singles to go 4-for-5, falling just a double short of the cycle.
Paxton got Ryan Theriot to ground to short for the first out of the second, but he then walked Pontiff and was replaced by Brent Speigner, who uncorked a two-out wild pitch to move Pontiff to second. After walking Bryan Moore, Todd Linden ripped a two-run single to center to make it 7-1 before Zeph Zinsman followed with a two-run homer to complete the inning.
Raymer’s triple in the third led to a sacrifice fly by Theriot, then LSU exploded for another five-spot in the fourth. A walk to Fontenot and subsequent singles by Linden and Moore loaded the baes before Zinsman bounced a ground ball to Faulkner at first, and his error cost Auburn another run, as one run had already scored on the play.
Barker would drive home two more with a double before Raymer’s RBI single forced Speigner from the game.
Auburn finally broke the onslaught in the sixth when Gross touched LSU reliever Billy Brian for a grand slam, the first allowed by LSU this season.
Raymer had two more opportunities to reach the cycle, but he reached on an error in the sixth and singled in the seventh to scuttle those hopes.
LSU starter Lane Mestepey worked just five innings, scattering seven hits to improve his record to 9-2. Paxton (4-4) took the loss, giving up six earned runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings.
With the retirement of his jersey, Bertman becomes just the fifth LSU athletic figure to have his jersey retired, and the first in baseball. The other LSU athletes to have their numbers retired are Billy Cannon in football (#20) and three in basketball: Bob Pettit (#50), the late Pete Maravich (#23) and Shaquille O’Neal (#33).
Before game 1 of Skip Bertman‘s final regular-season weekend series, the “Skipper” learned that his No. 15 will be retired by the University, was honored with a $255,000 scholarship fund raised by his Coaches Committee, received personalized jewelry and was greeted by a live llama.
There will be a photo gallery from each of the three games this weekend, along with a “Skip Through the Years” photo gallery.
Fifteen minutes after Friday’s game, there was a five-minute fireworks show in honor of coach Bertman as well.
Before Friday’s game, fans recieved the 2001 edition of the LSU Baseball Cards and were given the opportunity to sign a giant-sized “Thanks for the Memories, Skip” card. The card will be available to be signed before both Saturday and Sunday’s games and will be presented to coach Bertman on Sunday.