BATON ROUGE — LSU’s seven-game winning streak came to an end on Friday night, as Auburn scored two runs in the seventh to deal the third-ranked Tigers a 6-4 loss at Alex Box Stadium.
LSU (18-5, 3-1) suffered its first league loss. For Auburn (18-8, 2-2), it was the second consecutive game the Plainsmen ended a Top 5 team’s winning streak. On Wednesday, AU rallied from a four-run deficit to snap No. 4 Georgia Tech’s 12-game stretch, 7-6, in 11 innings.
The two SEC West foes continue the series on Saturday at 2 p.m. Sophomore Clay Dirks (5-0, 2.93) will put his perfect record on the line against AU ace, junior right-hander Josh Sullivan (4-1, 2.01). The series wraps up on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Senior Lane Mestepey (5-2) registered his first loss since Feb. 25 at Houston. The lefty was touched for seven hits and six runs, while walking a season-high four batters in six innings of work. Three of walks were to the leadoff hitter and all three came in to score.
“You can’t walk leadoff batters and let them come in and score,” said Mestepey. “I felt fine, but I just got in the game and was off tonight. We just have to buckle down this weekend and work a little harder.”
Outfielder Ryan Patterson continued his hot-hitting, going 4-for-5 with two runs, including his ninth home run in the past seven games.
Patterson’s shot came off of starter Arnold Hughey in the third. Hughey lasted 4.2 innings and allowed four runs on nine hits.
Auburn roughed up Mestepey for four runs in the first three innings. Two uncharacteristic leadoff walks in the first and second came around to score on RBI singles by Clete Thomas and Philip Stringer.
With one out in the third, first baseman Karl Amonite drove his SEC-leading 11th double off of the right field wall. He would come around to score one batter later on Josh Bell’s single to centerfield.
Trailing 4-0, Quinn Stewart sparked LSU to its first run, ripping a leadoff triple down the left field line. Stewart, who extended his hitting streak to a career-high eight games, crossed home on Blake Gill’s team-leading 25th RBI of the season with a groundout to second base.
Then, Patterson blasted his 11th homer of the season, sending a two-out tape measure shot over the left field bleachers to cut the lead in half at 4-2.
In the fifth, Patterson started what would be a two run-inning that tied the game at 4-4. Patterson delivered a one-out double and then hustled home on Clay Harris’ RBI single. Matt Liuzza drove in the tying run on his fielder’s choice ground ball.
Mestepey seemed to feed off of the momentum, setting down 11 of 12 batters between the third and sixth innings.
But in the seventh, the Plainsmen got two aboard with no outs on a walk and a single, ending Mestepey’s night.
Jason Determann relieved Mestepey and had not allowed a hit in his last two appearances, but the junior lefty surrendered the go-ahead single to Amonite, the league’s leader in RBI.
Ben Sprague’s two-out single off of an 0-2 pitch brought in an insurance run and the Tigers faced a two-run deficit at 6-4.
Amonite finished the night 3-for-5 with one run and one RBI.
For the final three frames, LSU was silenced by Auburn reliever John Madden (4-0), who retired all 11 batters he faced. Madden did not allow a hit, struck out two and walked none.
The Tigers could not take advantage of a throwing error by the third baseman Stringer in the eighth, which allowed Stewart to reach with one out.
Madden fanned Michael Hollander and induced a groundout from Gill as Stewart was erased, one of 10 runners stranded by LSU on the night.
“They left 11 on (base) and we left 10 on,” said head coach Smoke Laval. “I still think we hit some balls well, but Madden is as good as I have seen.”
Auburn 6, LSU 4 (Mar 25, 2005 at Baton Rouge, La.)
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Auburn………….. 121 000 200 – 6 11 2 (18-7, 2-2 SEC)
LSU……………… 002 020 000 – 4 11 1 (18-5, 3-1 SEC)
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Pitchers: Auburn – Hughey; Shore(5); Madden(6). LSU – Mestepey; Determann(7); Faircloth(8); Ramirez(9).
Win-Madden(4-0) Loss-Mestepey(5-2) T-2:48 A-7673
HR LSU – Patterson (11).
Actual attendance: 4,882
Mestepey faced 2 batters in the 7th.