BATON ROUGE — No. 11 Kentucky broke a 3-3 tie with a three-run eighth inning on Saturday, and LSU’s comeback hopes fell short in a wild ninth inning as the Tigers lost, 6-5, in dramatic fashion in Alex Box Stadium.
The Tigers (14-11, 1-4 SEC) fell to fifth place in the Southeastern Conference Western Division standings. Auburn sits in sixth place with an 0-5 mark after losing to Florida on Saturday. LSU dropped its second straight league series after a 16-2 loss to Kentucky on Friday.
The Wildcats (23-2) joined all six SEC Eastern Division teams with a 3-2 mark in league play. Kentucky extended its win streak to three games and secured its first-ever series victory in Baton Rouge.
LSU freshman right-hander T.J. Forrest (1-1, 0.82) is scheduled to pitch against UK junior righty Greg Dombrowski (3-1. 3.95) in the series finale at 11 a.m. Sunday. Forrest has only allowed one earned run in 11 innings of work this season.
Live audio and streaming video are available in the Geaux Zone on www.LSUsports.net.
With LSU trailing 6-5 with one out in the bottom of the ninth on Saturday, designated hitter Blake Dean lined a single to centerfield off of reliever Aaron Lovett and was replaced by pinch runner Chris Jackson.
UK head coach John Cohen then elected to go to sidewinder Brock Baber with freshman first baseman Sean Ochinko coming to the plate. Ochinko then drilled Baber’s first offering down the left field line as it twisted over the wall.
Home plate umpire Dennis McComb signaled a home run as Ochinko rounded the bases with a boisterous crowd celebrating what looked to be a 7-6 LSU come-from-behind triumph.
“I hit it, and I knew I hit it out,” said Ochinko. “I started going, just kept going and the place went nuts. I went back and touched first and then touched second and third. I hit it, looked at it and just kept running. I didn’t know if it was fair or foul.”
However, the celebration was premature as third base umpire Jeff Head ruled the ball foul as the Tigers walking off the field. With all three umpires conferring, Head’s call stood, and Ochinko was sent back to the plate with an 0-1 count.
Baber then induced a pop fly to left field to retire Ochinko. Left-hander James Paxton recorded the final out of the game when centerfielder Jared Mitchell flied out to center.
“In 25 years of coaching, I have never seen an ending like that,” said LSU head coach Paul Mainieri. “I’ve seen questions on home runs before but certainly not at that juncture of the game with that much riding on it as it was there.”
“The home plate umpire called it fair,” added Mainieri. “The guy standing at second base overruled him. Why one umpire’s judgment counts other than the other umpire’s judgment, I have no idea. It’s the home plate umpire’s call, and he made the call that he thought was right. Whether it was right or wrong is irrelevant because it is his call.”
Lovett (3-0) picked up the victory with 2.2 innings of relief, allowing two runs — none earned — on four hits. He walked two and struck out none.
Sophomore right-hander Louis Coleman (2-3) absorbed the loss, surrendering the three-run eighth inning on four hits.
LSU starter Jared Bradford turned in a gutsy effort but didn’t figure in the decision despite a solid seven innings. Bradford scattered 10 hits and allowed three runs while walking one and striking out three.
UK starter Andrew Albers left in the sixth after surrendering three runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings of work.
LSU second baseman Chris McGhee enjoyed the best day of his career, going 3-for-4 with a homer, two runs and two RBI. His blast in the third marked the Tigers’ fifth straight game with a homer.
Ochinko contributed two hits LSU’s final tally of 11. The Tigers were previously 7-0 when reaching the double-digit hit plateau.
McGhee plated the Tigers’ first two runs. Both he and shortstop Michael Hollander started the game with singles. Dean grounded into a double play, and McGhee scored to give LSU a 1-0 lead.
The Wildcats tied it in the second on an RBI groundout from shortstop Brian Spear. Third baseman Matt McKinney scored on the play after drilling a one-out triple to the right-field gap.
McGhee then accomplished something in the third inning he had not done in his collegiate career in 19 at-bats. The sophomore put the Tigers back in front when he crushed an Albers’ offering for a line-drive, solo homer over the left field wall.
UK knotted the contest again in the fourth. Designated hitter Sean Coughlin walked to leadoff the frame, and he was erased on a fielder’s choice groundout by McKinney. However, McKinney took third on a one-out single by Spear.
Bradford then gave up a 1-2 RBI single to second baseman Ryan Wilkes that made it a 2-2 contest.
Albers issued a leadoff walk of his own in the fifth that would eventually to score. Third baseman J.T. Wise took the free pass and claimed second when catcher Robert Lara walked. McGhee then drove in his second run with a clutch two-out single to left.
Bradford benefited from a pair of stellar defensive plays in the next two innings. Hollander took away a single with two outs in the sixth on a tremendous diving play up the middle. Leftfielder Ryan Schimpf made a diving catch in foul territory in the seventh.
Immediately following the brilliant play, Schimpf committed a fielding error that led to the game’s third tie. Centerfielder Antone DeJesus lined a one-out single to left, and Schimpf let the ball roll past him as DeJesus took second. Right fielder Mike Brown capitalized with an RBI single to center field.
LSU was presented with chances to claim the lead again, but the Tigers stranded runners at second and third in both the sixth and seventh innings.
The Wildcats took advantage of their scoring opportunities in the eighth, an inning which resulted in the winning margin. McKinney picked up his second triple of the day, and Spear gave UK a 4-3 lead with an RBI single up the middle.
Left fielder Jason Kipnis immediately delivered the key hit of the game, unloading on a Coleman pitch over the left-field bleachers for a two-run homer with one out.
Right fielder Steven Waguespack and Lara pulled LSU to within a run with RBI singles in the bottom of the eighth.
Kentucky 6, LSU 5 (Mar 24, 2007 at Baton Rouge,La.)
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Kentucky………… 010 100 130 – 6 14 2 (23-2, 3-2 SEC)
LSU………………. 101 010 020 – 5 11 2 (14-11, 1-4 SEC)
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Pitchers: Kentucky – Andrew Albers; Aaron Lovett(6); Brock Baber(9); James Paxton(9).
LSU –Jared Bradford; Louis Coleman(8); Paul Bertuccini(9).
Win-Aaron Lovett(3-0) Save-James Paxton(1) Loss-Louis Coleman(2-3) T-3:17 A-7753
HR UK – Jason Kipnis (6).
HR LSU – Chris McGhee (1).
Actual attendance: 3,563