TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Third baseman Jake Smith’s two-run single in the sixth inning Saturday night broke a 2-2 tie as No. 25 Alabama defeated LSU, 5-2, at Sewell-Thomas Stadium to even the SEC series at one game apiece.
LSU, which defeated Alabama, 5-4, on Friday night fell to 16-12-1 overall and 2-5-1 in the SEC with Saturday’s loss. Alabama improved to 18-11 and 4-4.
The teams meet in the series finale at 2 p.m. CDT Sunday. The game can be heard on affiliates of the LSU Sports Network (WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge), and it will be televised regionally on the Jumbo Sports Network (Cable Ch. 13 in Baton Rouge).
The audio broadcast can also be accessed in the Geaux Zone at www.LSUsports.net.
Sunday’s starting pitchers for each team have yet to be determined.
With Saturday’s game tied at 2-2, Alabama catcher Rick Rhoden opened the bottom of the sixth inning with a single against LSU reliever Jared Bradford. Leftfielder Brandon Belcher followed with a bunt single and second baseman Jeff Texada sacrificed the runners to second and third.
Bradford then fanned shortstop Greg Paiml before intentionally walking centerfielder Emeel Salem. Smith then blooped a single into shallow left field, scoring Rhoden and Belcher to give Alabama a 4-2 advantage.
Alabama added a run in the eighth when Paiml led off with a triple against reliever Louis Coleman and scored on Salem’s single.
Alabama starter Bernard Robert (4-3) earned the win after limiting LSU to two runs ? one earned ? on nine hits in seven innings with three walks and six strikeouts.
Alabama reliever Tommy Hunter earned his third save of the season, blanking the Tigers over the final two innings. Hunter, who suffered blown save opportunity on Friday, did not allow a hit in Game 2 while recording three strikeouts.
Hunter entered the game in the eighth holding a 4-2 lead with runners on first and second and nobody out, but he pitched out of the jam with two strikeouts and a grounder back to the mound.
Bradford (4-2), the fourth of six LSU pitchers, was charged with the loss as he allowed two runs on three hits in one inning with one strikeout.
“We didn’t take advantage of some of the scoring opportunities, especially in the eighth inning,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “We couldn’t come up with the key hit when we needed it. We did the best we could to piece our pitching together, but Alabama got the timely hit when they had to have it.”
LSU grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning on rightfielder Steven Waguespack‘s RBI single, and Alabama tied the game in the third on a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Alex Avila.
Alabama took a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Salem delivered an RBI single, and LSU tied the contest at 2-2 in the fifth when designated hitter Blake Dean lined a run-scoring single.
Alabama 5, LSU 2 (Mar 31, 2007 at Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
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LSU……………….. 100 010 000 – 2 9 3 (16-12-1, 2-5-1 SEC)
Alabama…………. 001 102 01X – 5 12 2 (18-11, 4-4 SEC)
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Pitchers: LSU – T.J. Forrest; Nolan Cain(4); Kyle Beerbohm(5); Jared Bradford(6); Louis Coleman(7); Chris Sorce(8). Alabama – Bernard Robert; Tommy Hunter(8).
Win-Bernard Robert(4-3) Save-Tommy Hunter(3) Loss-Jared Bradford(4-2) T-3:27 A-5575
Forrest faced 3 batters in the 4th.
Robert faced 2 batters in the 8th.
Coleman faced 3 batters in the 8th.