BATON ROUGE — Right fielder Nick Stavinoha went 2-for-4 with a homer and a season-high four RBI, while left fielder Ryan Patterson scored a career high four runs, leading second-ranked LSU to a 12-6 series-opening victory over UAB at Alex Box Stadium on Friday night.
The Tigers (10-2) collected nine hits after being two-hit at Centenary on Wednesday. LSU will send sophomore lefty Clay Dirks (3-0, 3.78) to the mound at noon on Saturday.
The Blazers committed a season-high seven errors and dropped to 6-4. Senior right-hander Jeff Brown (1-0, 6.43) is slated to start Game 2.
Despite not having his best stuff, senior Lane Mestepey (3-1) moved into sole possession of third place in all-time LSU career victories with his 32nd triumph on Friday night.
“Mestepey wasn’t at the top his game, but he battled and tried to fix himself up for later on in the game or even next weekend when he pitches,” said LSU head coach Smoke Laval. “He didn’t give in, and he made them earn everything they got.”
The southpaw went 5.2 innings, allowing three runs — all earned — on seven hits. He tied a career high with eight strikeouts, previously accomplished at Long Beach State in 2002.
UAB starter Adam Price (1-1) suffered his first loss of the season, surrendering seven runs — five earned — on five hits, walking one and striking out one in 5.1 innings of work.
The Tigers scored in the first inning for the sixth time in 11 games despite not collecting a hit. Patterson, who should have been retired on his groundball to shortstop, touched home on Blake Gill’s sacrifice fly to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead with the first of four unearned runs on the night.
While the LSU bats remained silent through the first three frames, the Blazers took an aggressive approach at the plate, posting a run in the third followed by a two-run fourth.
Mestepey had retired the first two batters in the third, but three consecutive singles, including Zac Ward’s shot to left knotted the game at one apiece.
Mestepey uncharacteristically continued to fall behind, walking the leadoff hitter in the fourth followed by a single from Seth Rollin. Both came into score when Donny Muth, the eight hole hitter, drilled a double down the right field line, giving UAB their first lead of the game at 3-1.
Trailing for the second time in as many games, the LSU bats finally emerged using a four-run fourth to swing the momentum of the game. Clay Harris’ pivotal two-run double got the Tigers to within one.
Then Stavinoha gave LSU the lead for good, unloading on Price’s offering for a three-run homer down the left field line. For Stavinoha, it was his team-leading third blast of the season.
The Houston, Texas native later highlighted a three-run seventh with his RBI double.
“I have always said that baseball is a humbling game — you never know what is going to happen,” said Stavinoha. “We didn’t get anything going at Centenary, but that happens sometimes. Tonight, we swung the bats a little better.”
The Blazers cut into LSU’s 10-3 lead in the eighth on a pair of homers from Seth Rollin and Billy Lichtner, plating three before reliever Chase Dardar forced a double play and a fly out in the ninth.
LSU 12, Alabama-Birmingham 6 (Mar 04, 2005 at Baton Rouge, La.)
———————————————————————-
Alabama-Birmingham.. 001 200 030 – 6 13 7 (6-4)
LSU…………………….. 100 420 32X – 12 9 0 (10-2)
———————————————————————-
Pitchers: Alabama-Birmingham – Price; Huffman(6); Flaherty(7); Telotte(8). LSU – Mestepey; Meier(6); Dardar(8).
Win-Mestepey(3-1) Loss-Price(1-1) T-2:54 A-7419
HR UAB – Rollin (3); Lichtner (1).
HR LSU – Stavinoha (3).
Actual attendance: 3,876
Flaherty faced 2 batters in the 8th.