BATON ROUGE — Sophomore right-hander Louis Coleman limited Saint Mary’s to one run in six innings on Saturday, and LSU survived a wild ninth inning as the Tigers posted their second straight one-run victory by a score of 7-6 at Alex Box Stadium.
LSU (2-0) secured its 17th straight non-conference series victory. The Tigers last lost a non-SEC series at Long Beach State in March 2003. The streak dates back to a series win against Winthrop during that same season.
SMC (3-6) out-hit LSU for the second straight game, but the Gaels committed three costly errors — all by second baseman Randy Wells — that led to five unearned runs.
“We didn’t play particularly well today, especially offensively,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “Last night we didn’t get a lot of hits, but I thought the quality of our at-bats was really good. Today, I saw a completely different approach at the plate. I didn’t see the same intensity level, and even though I am happy we won, I am certainly not pleased with the way the guys played.”
Tiger sophomore left-hander Ryan Byrd is slated to make his first career start against freshman southpaw Anthony Aliotti (1-0, 1.17) in the series finale at noon on Sunday.
Live audio and video is available to members of the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net. Sunday’s contest will only be broadcast in the Baton Rouge area (WDGL 98.1 FM) due to the LSU women’s basketball game against Connecticut at 2 p.m.
Freshman left fielder Blake Dean, who homered in his first collegiate at-bat on Friday night, sparked the Tigers offensively again with a single, two walks and three runs.
Freshman Brandon Berl (0-2) suffered the hard-luck loss despite holding the Tigers to four hits in a five-inning start. The righty allowed seven runs — only two of which were earned — walked six and struck out one.
Coleman (1-0), a native of Schlater, Miss., surrendered one run on six hits, walked one and struck out seven in six innings of work.
“I was throwing strikes early so that was good,” said Coleman. “The two-seam fastball and the slider were in the zone all day, so that helped a lot.”
SMC pushed across the game’s first run in the first on a one-out sacrifice fly by second Wells, scoring right fielder Eric Cattoni. Cattoni led off the game with a single, took second on a stolen base and reached third courtesy of a balk.
It was the only blemish Coleman allowed through the first six innings. He benefited from a 6-4-3 double play to end the second and battled through a two-on, one-out situation in the sixth before he exited.
LSU tied the game in the second as Dean took advantage of one of Berl’s six free passes. Sophomore catcher Robert Lara drove the freshman in with a single through the left side.
The Tigers exploded for five runs in the fourth with the benefit of only one hit. Dean walked and took second on the first of Wells’ three fielding miscues. Following a fielder’s choice and a walk, designated hitter Jordan Mayer drew a bases-loaded walk.
Freshman centerfielder Jared Mitchell then provided his first career hit in timely fashion with a two-out single into right, scoring right fielder Steven Waguespack.
Shortstop Michael Hollander followed with a fielder’s choice when Wells committed his second error, bringing in Mayer and Lara. Hollander came in to score the sixth run when Wells let second baseman Chris Jackson‘s grounder roll off his glove.
LSU took a 7-1 lead into the eighth before the Gaels mounted a comeback. Junior right-hander Michael Bonura, in relief of Coleman, allowed two runs on a double by centerfielder Ryan Young and a single by third baseman Gilbert Urbina.
Senior lefty Clay Dirks came in to record the final four outs of the game, and the Tiger defense committed some miscues of its own before retiring the final batter.
Dirks quickly made work of the first two hitters but allowed a two-out single to first baseman Anthony Aliotti, who came into score on an error by right fielder Jeffrey Garidel.
Dirks looked to have earned the final out when Michael Cipolla grounded to third baseman Ryan Schmipf. However, Schimpf fired wildly past first base allowing two runs to score and the tying run to take second.
Schmipf redeemed himself with the final out of the game on a groundball from pinch hitter Ian Gordon.
“Nothing is going to come easy for us,” said Mainieri. “We are not going to go out and throw 15 runs up on the board and make it easy because we have five or six home run hitters. You are going to have to scratch and claw for everything you get. When you are that way, you are going to play a lot of close games.”
LSU 7, Saint Mary’s 6 (Feb 10, 2007 at Baton Rouge, La.)
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Saint Mary’s…….. 100 000 023 – 6 9 3 (3-6)
LSU……………….. 010 510 00X – 7 4 3 (2-0)
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Pitchers: Saint Mary’s – BERL; SCHNEIDER(6); BRAHNEY(8). LSU – Coleman; Bonura(7); Dirks(8).
Win-Coleman(1-0) Loss-BERL(0-2) T-3:12 A-7160
Actual attendance: 3,004.