BATON ROUGE — Fifth-ranked LSU used a memorable 12-run fourth inning, highlighted by four consecutive home runs from Blake Gill, Ryan Patterson, Clay Harris and Nick Stavinoha to overpower Arizona State en route to a 20-3 victory at Alex Box Stadium on Sunday.
The Tigers (14-4) won their 11th straight regular season series and travel to New Orleans to face the Privateers on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. from Maestri Field. The Sun Devils (13-12) blasted Western Illinois, 30-13, in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday, collecting an Alex Box Stadium record 35 hits. ASU hosts Oklahoma in a three-game series next weekend.
Gill, who finished the game with five RBI, started the fourth-inning barrage with his second career grand slam, drilling a first pitch fastball from Jason Urquidez off of the “Intimidator” billboard in right field. It was the first grand slam by LSU since Will Harris’ slam nearly a year ago to the day, on March 12, 2004 versus Southeastern Louisiana.
Patterson collected his second two-homer game in as many days when he followed Gill and delivered a solo shot into the left field bleachers. The senior outfielder got the Tigers on the board in the first with a three-run blast. Patterson finished the weekend 7-for-12 with four homers, eight runs scored and seven RBI.
Clay Harris and Stavinoha followed with solo homers of their own in the fourth inning, as LSU launched four consecutive home runs, the first time that feat was accomplished in the program’s history.
LSU had produced three consecutive homers in a game before, on May 23, 1998, against Cal State Fullerton in an NCAA Regional in Alex Box Stadium.
Stavinoha, who was lifted for a pinch hitter in the sixth, finished a single shy of the cycle in a 3-for-4 effort, including his second career triple.
With LSU leading 11-2 in the fourth, Matt Liuzza and Dustin Weaver lined back-to-back singles, followed by two walks and an error. The first out of the inning was finally made 12 batters into the frame when Michael Hollander — in his second at-bat of the inning — was fanned by reliever Tony Barnette. Clay Harris closed out the nine-hit attack with his second RBI of the inning on a single.
Harris capped a brilliant weekend display by the Tigers’ 3-4-5 hitters with two hits, two runs and two RBI.
When the historic breakout inning was finally over, the Tigers had sent 17 batters to the plate, amassing the highest run tally in an inning since posting 14 runs on May 27, 2000 in the second game of the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional versus UL-Monroe.
Ironically, the ULM head coach at the time was Smoke Laval.
“That is the offense we have been looking for the whole time,” said Laval. “That was pretty good — to hit four homers in a row and display that kind of power.”
The power display continued over the Tigers’ final four innings when they reached the 20-run plateau in the eighth on Rhett Buteau’s RBI triple.
Lost in the barrage was left-hander Greg Smith’s superb performance. Smith (4-1) worked seven strong innings, allowing three runs on six hits, walking two and striking out two. He held the hot-hitting Sun Devils in check after surrendering two runs in the first.
“Smith did what he was supposed to do and did it very well,” said Laval. “Once we got up, he just got us in and out of the dugout and still kept them off the board. It is tough to pitch like that because they just go up there free swinging with the help of the wind blowing out. He did a great job.”
Jason Determann relieved Smith in the eighth and worked two perfect innings to close the door on ASU.
Sun Devil starter Pat Bresnehan (1-2) was tagged with the loss, allowing four runs on four hits with three walks in 0.1 inning.
LSU 20, Arizona State 3 (Mar 13, 2005 at Baton Rouge, La.)
———————————————————————-
Arizona State……. 200 0 01 000 – 3 6 3 (13-12)
LSU……………….. 400 (12)12 01X – 20 20 1 (14-4)
———————————————————————-
Pitchers: Arizona State – Bresnehan; Urquidez(1); Barnette(4); Dryanski(7). LSU – Smith, G.; Determann(8).
Win-Smith, G.(4-1) Loss-Bresnehan(1-2) T-2:54 A-7422
HR ASU – Gosewisch (4).
HR LSU – Gill (2); Patterson 2 (6); Harris, C. (3); Stavinoha (4); Liuzza (2).
Actual attendance: 3,397
Urquidez faced 9 batters in the 4th.