BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Todd Linden tied Southeastern Conference Tournament records with two home runs and six RBIs as LSU had little trouble disposing of Ole Miss for the second time in three days, taking a 12-6 victory over the Rebels Saturday at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
Defending tournament champion LSU (40-18-1) advances to the championship game at 3 p.m. Sunday against Mississippi State.
The Tigers will be going for their seventh tournament championship in their 11th title game appearance. Ole Miss (37-21-1) was eliminated, but had their best tournament showing since winning the inaugural conference tourney in 1977.
Linden, a junior outfielder who transferred to LSU at mid-term from Washington, became just the 16th player to hit two home runs in an SEC Tournament game, and just the fifth to knock in six runs in a game. The game also marked the second multi-homer game for Linden, who also hit two against Alabama on April 28. Ironically, prior to today, that game at Tuscaloosa was the last time Linden hit a home run.
LSU scored its three runs in the bottom of the first with the benefit of just one hit. Ryan Theriot drew a leadoff walk and stole second before Wall Pontiff was also issued a walk from Ole Miss pitcher Mike Gray (3-3). Gray then balked the runners ahead, and two batters later, Linden drove in his first run of the game with a sacrifice fly to right.
Pontiff would come home on a wild pitch to make it 2-0, and after Bryan Moore walked, Matt Heath doubled home the Tiger first baseman all the way from first to make it 3-0.
Pontiff singled home Sean Barker, who reached on an error to lead off the second, to make it 4-0, then Linden collected his second sacrifice fly of the game to score Theriot to give the Tigers a 5-0 edge.
Ole Miss came to within 5-2 on Josh Christian’s two-run homer in the fourth, but Linden answered emphatically in the bottom of the fourth, as he launched a towering home run into the parking lot in left field to give LSU an 8-2 lead. Sean Barker hit a one-out home run in the fifth to make it 9-2 before Pontiff’s ground out to short scored Raymer.
LSU starter Tim Nugent won his seventh game in 11 starts this season, going five innings and giving up two runs on three hits to improve to 7-2.
Linden would lead off the sixth with his second home run of the game to close scoring for LSU.
Ole Miss’ lone bright spot was first baseman Christian, who also hit two home runs in the game and went 5-for-5, becoming just the sixth player to collect five hits in an SEC Tournament game.