KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Right fielder Jon Zeringue drove in four runs on a career-high four hits Saturday night and left-hander Clay Dirks earned his eighth win in eight decisions as seventh-ranked LSU defeated No. 10 Tennessee, 11-5, at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
LSU improved to 30-11 overall and 9-8 in the SEC, while Tennessee dropped to 31-10 and 10-7. The teams meet in the series finale at 2 p.m. EDT Sunday. Right-hander Nate Bumstead (5-2) is scheduled to start the game for LSU while Tennessee is expected to counter with left-hander Ben Riley (3-2).
Saturday’s game featured a bizarre set of events as first base umpire Scott Erby ejected two players — UT catcher Nick Crowe and LSU shortstop Derek Hebert — and LSU head coach Smoke Laval in the first two innings.
Crowe and Hebert were ejected for arguing out calls at first base, and Laval was thrown out of the game by Erby when he contested Hebert’s ejection.
Zeringue gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning with a two-run double, scoring J.C. Holt and Ryan Patterson.
Tennessee — aided by two LSU errors — retaliated with three runs in the bottom of the first before the Tigers re-gained the lead at 4-3 with a pair of runs in the third.
Patterson delivered an RBI single and Clay Harris produced a run-scoring groundout to give LSU the one-run advantage.
Tennessee, however, struck back in the third with two unearned runs as the Volunteers again benefited from an LSU error.
The Tigers broke the game open in the fifth with a four-run outburst. Patterson and Blake Gill opened the inning with back-to-back singles against UT starter Sean Watson, who was lifted for reliever Luke Hochevar.
Zeringue belted a sacrfice fly to score Patterson and tie the game at 5-5. After Clay Harris grounded out, Ivan Naccarata chopped an infield single, setting the stage for Matt Liuzza, who ripped a double down the left-field line to give LSU the lead.
The Tigers added two more runs in the inning on a pair of wild pitches by Hochevar.
LSU added to its lead with three more runs in the seventh, as Zeringue led off the inning with a solo homer, his 11th of the season.
Clay Harris followed Zeringue with a walk, and after Hochevar retired Naccarata and Liuzza, Will Harris launched his fourth homer of the year over the left-field wall to increase the LSU lead to 11-5.
After surrendering five runs — two earned — on seven hits in the first three innings, Dirks blanked Tennessee for five consecutive innings before giving way to reliever Justin Meier in the ninth.
Dirks (8-0) allowed 10 hits in eight innings with one walk and four strikeouts.
Watson (4-2) was charged with the loss as he surrendered six runs on seven hits in four innings with no walks and two strikeouts.
LSU 11, Tennessee 5 (Apr 24, 2004 at Knoxville, Tenn.)
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LSU…………….. 202 040 300 – 11 12 5 (30-11, 9-8 SEC)
Tennessee……….. 302 000 000 – 5 10 0 (31-10, 10-7 SEC)
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Pitchers: LSU – Dirks; Meier(9). Tennessee – Watson; Hochevar(5); Johnson(8); Cobb(9).
Win-Dirks(8-0) Loss-Watson(4-2) T-3:08 A-3128
HR LSU – Zeringue (11); Harris, W. (4).
Watson faced 2 batters in the 5th.