BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — LSU got off to its fastest start in a game in over five years, blitzing Mississippi State for nine runs in the top of the first inning and never looking back as the Fighting Tigers clinched a berth in the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game with a 17-5 thrashing of the Bulldogs on Saturday night at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
The game was called after seven innings due to the SEC’s 10-run mercy rule, the Tigers’ fifth mercy-rule victory in the tournament since 1999 and first since a 13-2 triumph over Ole Miss two years ago.
LSU (40-18-1) will play Alabama (36-22) for the championship on Sunday at 4 p.m. in front of what is expected to be an overflow crowd. The Crimson Tide, who won the tournament in 1996, 1999 and 2002 at the Hoover Met, routed archrival Auburn 13-3 earlier Saturday to win bracket one with a 3-0 record.
The Tigers and Tide have met twice previously for the tournament championship, with Alabama winning both meetings, 9-8 in the 1995 West division tournament and 12-2 in 1997.
LSU, which has won more SEC tournament games (49) and championships (6) than any other school, will be looking to sweep the regular season and tournament championships for the first time since 1992.
The Bulldogs (40-18-1) received a bad omen on the first batter of the game, as Bruce Sprowl legged out an infield hit, beating the throw to first from Mississippi St. shortstop Matthew Maniscalco by a half-step.
MSU starter Todd Nicholas quickly fell into deep trouble, giving up a single to Ryan Patterson and walking SEC Player of the Year Aaron Hill to bring up Clay Harris. LSU’s first team All-SEC first baseman barely missed his second career grand slam, but his two-run double off the top of the left-center field fence scored Sprowl and Patterson to start the ball rolling for the Tigers.
On the very next pitch, the Tigers’ lead doubled from 2-0 to 4-0 when Blake Gill laced a two-run double into right field. That would be the end of the evening for Nicholas, who threw 14 pitches and gave up four hits and five runs without retiring a batter.
Jon Zeringue, the first batter to face Bulldog reliever Saunders Ramsey, reached safely when Steve Gendron booted his ground ball, and then State recorded the game’s first out on a sacrifice bunt by Quinn Stewart.
Ramsey walked Ivan Naccarata and then struck out Matt Liuzza for the second out, but yielded an RBI single to Bruce Sprowl for a 6-0 LSU lead. Ramsey appeared to be out of trouble when Patterson bounced a ball to second baseman Tom Berkery, but Berkery booted the ball, his third error in the last two contests against LSU, allowing Naccarata to score.
LSU finally ended the 30-minute marathon when Hill doubled home two more runs, making Hill the sixth LSU player to record 25 or more doubles in a season.
The nine-run first was LSU’s largest since the Tigers tallied 14 times in the first inning against Arkansas on March 22, 1998.
Gill led off the second with an infield hit, and after Zeringue walked, a ground ball by Stewart moved both runners into scoring position before Naccarata walked to load the bases. Ramsey then hit Liuzza on the leg to score Gill for a 10-0 LSU lead, and that was followed by a Sprowl sacrifice fly and a two-run triple by Patterson that made it 13-0 and drove Ramsey from the game.
The third MSU pitcher of the night, Brooks Dunn, gave up an RBI single to Hill to for the final run of that inning.
LSU starting pitcher Bo Pettit struck out six of the first nine State batters he faced before giving up a third inning hit to Maniscalco. The Bulldogs cashed in on a pair of fourth inning walks to score on an RBI single by Robby Goodson before Berkery doubled home a pair of runners two batters later.
State scored its other runs in the sixth on a two-run home run by J.B. Tucker.
Pettit improved to 9-2 on the year and won his 27th career game at LSU by striking out nine in his second complete game of the year.
LSU (40-18-1) 950 003 0– 17 11 1
Mississippi St. (40-18-1) 000 302 0– 5 6 4
Game called after 7 innings due to SEC Tournament 10-run rule.
Bo Pettit and Matt Liuzza, Ty Jensen (7); Todd Nicholas, Saunders Ramsey (1), Brooks Dunn (2), Jonathan Papelbon (4), Brian Owens (5), Robby Goodson (6), Jacob Blakeney (7) and J.B. Tucker.
WP–Pettit, 9-2.
LP–Nicholas, 5-4.
2B–LSU: Clay Harris (15), Blake Gill (12), Aaron Hill (25), Bruce Sprowl (8); MSU: Tom Berkery (5), Brent Lewis (8).
3B–LSU: Ryan Patterson (1).
HR–MSU: J.B. Tucker (2).
T–2:42.
A–12,673.
2003 SEC Baseball Tournament
May 22, 2003
Game 1 — #3 Auburn def. #6 Vanderbilt, 3-1
Game 2 — #7 Alabama def. #2 South Carolina, 9-7
Game 3 — #4 Mississippi State def. #5 Ole Miss, 5-4 (12)
Game 4 — #1 LSU def. #8 Arkansas, 5-4
Friday, May 23
Game 5 — #2 South Carolina def. #6 Vanderbilt, 3-2(Vanderbilt eliminated)
Game 6 — #5 Ole Miss def. #8 Arkansas, 8-7 (11) (Arkansas eliminated)
Game 7 — #7 Alabama def. #3 Auburn, 7-5
Game 8 — #1 LSU def. #4 Mississippi State, 7-2
Saturday, May 24
Game 9 — #3 Auburn def. #2 South Carolina, 5-1 (South Carolina eliminated)
Game 10 — #4 Mississippi State def. #5 Ole Miss, 4-1 (Ole Miss eliminated)
Game 11 — #7 Alabama def. #3 Auburn, 13-3 (7) (Auburn eliminated)
Game 12 — #1 LSU def. #4 Mississippi State, 17-5 (7) (Mississippi State eliminated)
Sunday, May 25
Game 13 * — not necessary
Game 14 ** — not necessary
Game 15 *** — #1 LSU vs. #7 Alabama, 4 p.m.
* – Game 13 will be necessary if the winner of Game 9 also wins Game 11.
** – Game 14 will be necessary if the winner of Game 10 also wins Game 12. If Game 13 is not necessary, Game 14 would start at 9 a.m. Sunday
*** – If both bracket winners are undefeated, there will be no 9 a.m. or noon games on Sunday and the championship game would be Game 13 at 4 p.m.
All Times are Central