BATON ROUGE — LSU used two home runs from Jon Zeringue, a gutty seven-inning pitching performance from Justin Meier and two key strikeouts from reliever Billy Sadler to edge Auburn, 6-5, in the tense opener of a critical three-game Southeastern Conference series on Friday night at Alex Box Stadium.
The game was witnessed by a crowd of 6,471, the largest home crowd for the Bayou Bengals this year, while the paid attendance of 8,512 was the second largest in Alex Box Stadium history, topped only by the 8,622 that watched LSU defeat Louisiana-Lafayette on April 11, 2000.
LSU (34-16-1, 17-7-1) extended its lead in the SEC over Auburn (34-15, 15-10) to two and a half games. The series continues on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Sadler gave up a leadoff walk to Scott Schade to start the ninth, and then pinch hitter Derek Sain lined a single into short right field to put the tying runner on. Sadler came back to strike out Sean Gamble on a called third strike and then retired Javon Moran on a ground ball back to the mound.
With runners on second and third, Auburn’s leading hitter, Tug Hulett drew a walk to load the bases and bring up Bobby Huddleston, who had already touched Meier for two home runs. Sadler, who struck out Huddleston to start the eighth inning, promptly plunked Huddleston in the back to score Schade and make it 6-5.
Sadler notched his third save of the year by freezing Karl Amonite on a 1-2 fastball for the final out.
LSU left fielder Ryan Patterson made a spectacular diving catch to rob the game’s first hitter, Gamble, of a hit, but Moran, singled to left-center, and two batters later, Bobby Huddleston blasted a towering home run deep into the left field bleachers to put Auburn ahead 2-0.
Auburn starter Arnold Hughey retired the LSU leadoff batter, Bruce Sprowl, but he then gave up back-to-back bloop singles to Patterson and Aaron Hill before Clay Harris laced a double into the right-center field gap to tie the game at 2-2.
Two batters later, Jon Zeringue lifted what appeared to be a lazy fly ball to left field. Auburn left fielder Gamble looked to be camped under the ball to catch it, but somehow it drifted to his right and just cleared the fence for a two-run home run that gave LSU a 4-2 lead.
That score held until the top of the fourth, when Huddleston led off the inning with another rocket that cleared the left field fence to cut the LSU (No. 8 Collegiate Baseball, No. 10 Baseball America, No. 16 ESPN/USA Today) lead in half to 4-3. Two batters later, the Bayou Bengals’ lead had evaporated, as Josh Bell lifted another Auburn home run into the left-center field stands to knot the game at 4-4.
LSU quickly unknotted the score when Zeringue led off the bottom of the fourth with his second home run of the game, making him the second LSU player to hit two home runs in a game this year, joining Clay Harris, who did so at Alabama on March 30 and against Ole Miss at home on April 13.
Auburn (No. 10 ESPN/USA Today, No. 13 Baseball America, No. 17 Collegiate Baseball) loaded the bases in the fifth, but Meier kept LSU ahead by getting Amonite to ground out to Blake Gill at second base.
Patterson gave LSU a key run with a two-out solo home run in the seventh..
Auburn (34-15, 15-10) 200 200 001– 5 8 0
LSU (34-16-1, 17-7-1) 400 200 10x– 6 9 0
Arnold Hughey, Cory Dueitt (8) and Josh Bell; Justin Meier, Billy Sadler (8) and Matt Liuzza.
WP–Meier, 6-2.
LP–Hughey, 5-5.
S–Sadler (3).
2B–LSU: Clay Harris (14).
HR–AU: Bobby Huddleston 2 (12), Josh Bell (7); LSU: Jon Zeringue 2 (11), Ryan Patterson (12).
T–2:28.
A–8,512 (paid); 6,471 (actual)