ATHENS, Ga. — LSU catcher Matt Liuzza launched a leadoff home run in the top of the ninth inning to complete a comeback from a 2-0 deficit as the Fighting Tigers completed a three-game sweep of Georgia on Sunday at Foley Field, 3-2, maintaining their hold on sole possession of first place in the Southeastern Conference.
LSU (16-7-1, 5-0-1) swept its first series, conference or non-conference, on the road since winning three games at Alabama on April 27-29, 2001. LSU has swept four of its last eight conference series dating back to last year, including last year’s sweep of Georgia in Baton Rouge.
The Tigers (No. 15 Collegiate Baseball, No. 16 Baseball America, No. 22 ESPN/USA Today) return to Louisiana but stay on the road for a 6:35 p.m. contest on Tuesday night against the University of New Orleans at Zephyr Field in Metairie. LSU plays its second consecutive SEC series on the road next weekend against West division rival Alabama.
Georgia (11-10, 0-6) lost its 10th consecutive conference game dating back to last year and has lost leads in three of its six conference games, including two 5-0 leads in last weekend’s series at Alabama.
Georgia reliever Brent Benefield struck out the first four LSU hitters he faced, including all three in the eighth inning, but Liuzza hit Benefield’s first pitch of the ninth inning into the trees behind the left-field fence for his second home run of the series after failing to hit a home run in his first 10 games.
Tiger reliever Jake Tompkins, who started in each of LSU’s first six weekend series but went to the bullpen after going 0-2 with a 5.13 ERA in those six outings, walked Ned Yost with two out, but struck out Josh Smith to nail down his first save of the year.
LSU starter Nate Bumstead struck out a career high eight batters and scattered seven hits over eight innings to earn the victory and improve to 2-1.
LSU, which left the bases loaded in the third without scoring, could piece together just three hits through the first six innings off of Georgia starting pitcher Mickey Westphal.
Westphal started the seventh by striking out Jon Zeringue, then gave up a single to Matt Liuzza before Bruce Sprowl flied out to right field for the second out.
J.C. Holt kept the inning alive with a base hit to center field, and then LSU finally got on the board against Westphal on Aaron Hill’s RBI single to score Liuzza. Georgia center fielder Jon Armitage had an opportunity to possibly Liuzza out at the plate, but did not make a throw.
Ivan Naccarata, who saw his 19-game hitting streak end on Saturday and was hitless in his first three trips on Sunday, then came through with an RBI single just out of the reach of a dive by Georgia second baseman Marshall Szabo to score Holt from second to tie the game and chase Westphal from the game after 6 2/3 innings.
Benefield kept the game tied when he fanned Blake Gill on a full count pitch to leave runners stranded at second and third.
Georgia got two hits in the bottom of the first with one out but was unable to convert that opportunity, and LSU would get its first scoring chance in the third.
Liuzza drew a leadoff walk, and Sprowl followed with a ground ball single up middle. J.C. Holt’s sacrifice bunt moved Liuzza and Sprowl up one base, and when Westphal’s throw bounced off the glove of Justin McClain, Holt was safe at first and the Tigers had the bases loaded with no out.
But the Tigers, who scored 25 runs and pounded out 32 hits in the first two games of the series, came up empty. Hill, LSU’s leading hitter, popped up to short right field on a ball that was not deep enough to score Liuzza from third. Szabo then nabbed Naccarata’s line drive for the second out, and the inning ended on Gill’s fly ball to left-center field.
Georgia didn’t miss its opportunity in the fifth. Ned Yost led off with a ground ball single, and then Josh Smith hit what appeared to be a routine fly ball to right field. But Tiger right fielder Jon Zeringue misplayed the ball, and the ball landed 10 feet to his right off the wall for a double that put Yost on third.
Bumstead retired Jasha Balcom on a foul pop-up behind third base, but Szabo came through with a two-run single to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead, its largest of the series.
Bumstead faced one last jam in the eighth inning when Lee Mitchell lined a triple past Naccarata and into the left field corner. But Armitage, Georgia’s leading hitter, grounded to Clay Harris at first base to end the inning.
LSU (16-7-1, 5-0-1) 000 000 201– 3 9 0
Georgia (11-10, 0-6) 000 020 000– 2 7 1
Nate Bumstead, Jake Tompkins (9) and Matt Liuzza; Mickey Westphal, Brent Benefield (7) and Jason Jacobs.
WP–Bumstead, 2-1
LP–Benefield, 0-1.
S–Tompkins (1).
2B–LSU: J.C. Holt (3); UGA: Josh Smith (3).
3B–UGA: Lee Mitchell (3).
HR–LSU: Matt Liuzza (2).
T–2:42.
A–2,122.