BATON ROUGE — The LSU baseball team erupted for five runs in the first two innings on Sunday and completed a season-opening series sweep of Saint Mary’s by a score of 6-2 at Alex Box Stadium.
The Tigers are off to a 3-0 start for the fourth time in the past six seasons, and LSU swept an opponent at home for the first time since taking three games from Temple last February.
The Gaels (3-7) committed three more errors on Sunday, which led to two of the Tigers’ six runs.
After being stymied offensively on Saturday with four hits, LSU matched that total after the first inning, as the rally was highlighted by a two-run homer from catcher Sean Ochinko.
“Usually the first game the nerves play a role,” said head coach Paul Mainieri. “After an emotional late night victory the guys let down the next day. I told them before the game that my teams always play their best of the third day of the season, and I expected that they would. We played a much better game today.”
LSU travels to DeLand, Fla., next weekend for a three-game series against Stetson beginning at 6 p.m. CST Friday. Saturday’s contest is scheduled for 1 p.m. CST followed by the series finale at noon CST Sunday.
Sophomore Ryan Byrd (1-0) earned his first career win in his first collegiate start. Byrd, who had only worked 6.2 innings last season, held SMC to two runs on five hits in five innings. The left-hander walked none and struck out none in his first appearance since April 8, 2006 at Tennessee.
Second baseman Chris Jackson, batting in the leadoff spot, tied a career-high with three hits, scored two runs and stole two bases. Jackson, who did not have a stolen base in his career, finished a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen base opportunities for the weekend.
“I had been leading (Jackson) off in our scrimmage games for the first couple weeks of practice, and he really swung the bat well,” said Mainieri. “He was great and really sparked the team. I was able to move him to leadoff because Blake Dean has been swinging the ball well and is a solid three-hole hitter.”
As a team, LSU finished 7-for-8 in stolen bases in the series, including four on Sunday.
Byrd settled down after giving up a run in the first inning. Pitcher Anthony Aliotti put the Gaels in front 1-0 with an RBI single through the left side after the first three batters of the game reached.
Jackson and centerfielder Jared Mitchell collected back-to-back singles in the first, and left fielder Blake Dean knotted the game at one apiece with a sacrifice fly.
Ochinko then put the Tigers in front for good with his first career homer — a line-drive, two-run shot into the left field bleachers to give LSU a 3-1 lead.
Mitchell capitalized on an error by third baseman J.P. Musgrove in the second with an RBI fielder’s choice. Dean, who finished as the Tigers leading hitter on the weekend (4-for-7), then followed with a sharp RBI single to right field scoring Mitchell after a stolen base.
Byrd retired 12 straight batters from the final out of the first into the fifth frame, before issuing a two-out single to centerfielder Ryan Young. Right fielder Eric Cattoni cut the deficit to 6-2 with an RBI double over Dean’s head in left.
However, Cattoni’s hit was one of the few balls that found holes on the day. Mitchell tracked down two fly balls in the gap, and the Tigers’ defense was flawless with no errors.
The LSU bullpen did not give SMC an opportunity for a comeback with four scoreless innings of relief. Right-hander Nolan Cain worked a perfect sixth inning in relief of Byrd, and junior Kyle Beerbohm pitched around a leadoff single for a scoreless seventh.
Junior right-hander Jared Bradford closed out the contest over the final two innings, allowing no runs and no hits. Bradford did not allow a run all weekend in 3.2 innings of relief, and the LSU bullpen as a staff surrendered only four earned runs in 10.1 innings to open the season.
Aliotti (1-1) absorbed the loss, allowing six runs — four earned — on eight hits in 3.2 innings. He walked one and struck out three.
LSU 6, Saint Mary’s 2 (Feb 11, 2007 at Baton Rouge, La.)
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Saint Mary’s…….. 100 010 000 – 2 6 3 (3-7)
LSU……………….. 320 100 00X – 6 8 0 (3-0)
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Pitchers: Saint Mary’s – ALIOTTI; STANTON(4); NISCO(8). LSU – Ryan Byrd; Nolan Cain(6);
Kyle Beerbohm(7); Jared Bradford(8).
Win-Ryan Byrd(1-0) Loss-ALIOTTI(1-1) T-2:30 A-7145
HR LSU – Sean Ochinko (1).
Actual attendance: 2,755
LSU Baseball Report ? February 12, 2007
Overall Record: 3-0
Last Week: 3-0
Feb. 9 ? SAINT MARY’S (W, 4-3)
Feb. 10 ? SAINT MARY’S (W, 7-6)
Feb. 11 ? SAINT MARY’S (W, 6-2)
Notes on the Tigers
LSU began the Paul Mainieri era with a three-game sweep of Saint Mary’s (Calif.) last weekend in Alex Box Stadium . . . Mainieri, who was hired as LSU’s coach last June after 12 seasons at Notre Dame, guided the Tigers to the season-opening victories in the stadium where he began his collegiate playing career — Mainieri lettered a freshman outfielder at LSU in 1976 . . . junior left-hander Charlie Furbush, a transfer from Saint Joseph’s (Maine) earned the win in Friday’s season opener, limiting Saint Mary’s to no runs on five hits in 5.2 innings with three walks and seven strikeouts . . . Furbush struck out the first five Saint Mary’s batters he faced in pacing LSU to the victory . . . sophomore right-hander Louis Coleman delivered a solid outing in leading the Tigers to a win in Game 2 on Saturday . . . Coleman limited Saint Mary’s to just one run on six hits in six innings with one walk and seven strikeouts . . . sophomore left-hander Ryan Byrd posted a win in his first career LSU start on Sunday, allowing two runs on five hits in five inningsi . . . freshman left fielder Blake Dean enjoyed a tremendous collegiate debut, batting .571 (4-for-7) in the series with one double, one homer, four runs and five RBI . . . Dean launched a three-run homer in his first collegiate at-bat on Friday, giving LSU a 3-0 first-inning lead . . . junior right-hander Jared Bradford fired 3.2 scoreless relief innings in two appearances over the weekend . . . Bradford allowed only one hit in the two outings, and he earned the save in Friday’s Game 1 victory . . . LSU started three true freshmen in each of the three games versus Saint Mary’s ? Blake Dean in left field, Jared Mitchell in center field and Sean Ochinko at first base and catcher . . . nine other LSU players made their debuts in a Tiger uniform, including pitchers Charlie Furbush, Jared Bradford, Kyle Beerbohm and Paul Bertuccini; infielders Jason Lewis and Ryan Schimpf; catchers Cade Gautreau and Kevin Farnsworth; and outfielder Jeffrey Garidel . . . junior second baseman Chris Jackson returned to the LSU lineup after missing the 2006 season due to an elbow injury . . . Jackson, who completed his career last fall as a punter/placekicker for the LSU football team, batted .300 (3-for-10) in the Saint Mary’s series with two runs and one RBI.
Nominee for Freshman and Player of the Week
Blake Dean, OF, Fr., Crestview, Fla.
True freshman left fielder Blake Dean enjoyed a tremendous collegiate debut, batting .571 (4-for-7) in the three-game series versus Saint Mary’s with one double, one homer, four runs and five RBI . . . he walked four times, recording a .667 on-base percentage in the series . . . Dean launched a three-run homer in his first collegiate at-bat on Friday, giving LSU a 3-0 first-inning lead as the Tigers went on to record a 4-3 victory.