LSU’s run at the Southeastern Conference Tournament won’t end.
LSU gutted out a 12-11 extra-inning victory over South Carolina on Saturday at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex. With the win, the Tigers move on to the SEC Tournament Championship game on Sunday.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After stranding two runners in the first, South Carolina would push a run across in the second inning. The Gamecocks got going with Kennedy Jones hitting a double off of Javen Coleman, and then was joined on the base paths by Dalton Reeves who hit a single.
Talmadge LeCroy flied out to centerfield which brought home Jones. Coleman got out of the jam by striking out the next batter, giving up a single to Austin Brinling but got Ethan Petry to pop up.
South Carolina increased its lead in the third inning.
After getting Blake Jackson to strike out, Coleman walked Cole Messina and Parker Noland and was pulled for Aiden Moffett. After getting a line out, Moffett gave up a three-run home run to Reeves.
LSU threatened to get back into the game in the bottom of the third.
Michael Braswell III led off with a single and then Tommy White was hit by a pitch to put two runners on with no outs. South Carolina’s Roman Kimball got Jones to strike out and then Josh Pearson to pop out. A wild pitch allowed Braswell and White to advance to third and second but Kimball got Hayden Travinski to strike out.
The Gamecocks kept piling on the run in the fourth.
Moffett gave up a leadoff single to Will Tippett, walked Brinling, and then hit Petry with a pitch to load the bases. Moffett did manage to get Jackson to fly out but it was deep enough to score a run, and then he gave up a single to Messina which scored another run.
Jay Johnson pulled Moffett for DJ Primeaux who comes in and gives up a single to Noland which plates another run.
LSU finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth.
Milam led off with a double to right field and two batters later Larson drew a walk. After a pop-up by Alex Milazzo, Braswell singled to left field which scored a run. White drew a walk to load the bases and then after a pitching change, Jared Jones drew a walk to plate another run.
Pearson came to the plate and laced a single up the middle that brought home two more runs. After another pitching change, Travinski singled down the leftfield line. a fielding error allowed him to advance to third while two more Tigers scored.
LSU put two runners on in the bottom of the fifth but White struck out to end the inning. South Carolina would add two more runs in the top of the sixth to make it 10-6.
LSU’s Jones homered to lead off the bottom of the sixth. Then in the seventh, Jake Brown led off with a bunt single and then advanced to third on a throwing error. He then scored on a fly-out by Ashton Larson. After a strikeout by Milazzo, Michael Braswell III blasted a home run over the wall in left-center field to make it 10-9.
LSU put two runners in the bottom of the eighth but were able to bring the tying run home.
In the bottom of the ninth, pinch hitter Ethan Frey led off by hitting a double down the left field line. Paxton Kling — pinch-running for Frey — scored on a sac bunt by Milazzo, who reached safely and advanced to second on a throwing error.
Braswell then drew a walk to put runners on first and second with no outs. The Gamecocks got out of the jam by getting White to pop up, Jones to fly out and Pearson to ground out.
After LSU’s Gavin Guidry got two quick outs, he walked the next two batters and threw two wild pitches that put runners at second and third. Johnson pulled him for Griffin Herring and the Tigers appeared to have gotten out of the jam as a Gamecock player was caught stealing home.
LSU led off the bottom of the frame with Travinski drawing a walk. Steven Milam came to the plate and lifted a pitch from Garrett Gainey over the left-centerfield wall for the game-winning home run.
BIG NUMBER: 43
After scoring 12 runs in Saturday’s semifinal victory, LSU had plated 43 runs in four games at the SEC Tournament. The Tigers scored 11 runs twice in the four games and never scored less than nine in any of them.
BIG NUMBER II: 9
Johnson did not leave any stone unturned regarding his pitching staff on Saturday. The LSU skipper utilized nine different pitchers in the SEC semifinal.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: MICHAEL BRASWELL III
LSU’s star shortstop led the Tigers at the plate as he went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, two RBI, one home run and two walks.
UP NEXT: LSU (40-20) will face the winner of Tennessee-Vanderbilt on Sunday in the SEC Tournament Championship Game. Pregame begins at 1:30 and first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. You can listen to all the action live on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.