BATON ROUGE — Third baseman Buzzy Haydel‘s eighth-inning single to right field scored right fielder Steven Waguespack with the winning run Wednesday as the Gold team defeated the Purple squad, 5-4, in the final game of the LSU Baseball Purple vs. Gold World Series at Alex Box Stadium.
The extra-inning win in the scheduled seven-inning game gave the Gold a 2-1 series victory over the Purple in the World Series, which culminated LSU’s month-long fall practice session.
“Fall practice ended on a tremendous high with an exciting game today,” said LSU first-year coach Paul Mainieri. “Our objective was to place the players in a high-pressure, intense atmosphere, and we accomplished that with a series that came down to the final at-bat.
“I think we accomplished a lot over the past month. We learned a great deal about our players, and it gives us a solid foundation to build upon for the regular season. I’m encouraged by the way our players have adapted to our system, and I’m excited about the opportunity to start the season in just three months.”
The Tigers open the 2007 season on February 9 when LSU plays host to Saint Mary’s (Calif.) in Alex Box Stadium.