LSU survives late scare from Alabama to clinch series 5-4
Powered by early homers from Saul Garza and Cade Beloso. LSU built a four-run lead through four innings Sunday afternoon and then barely hung on for a 5-4 SEC-series clinching victory at Alabama.
LSU reliever Devin Fontenot, closing for the Tigers for the second straight day, almost imploded the Alabama ninth. He hit two batters and twice faced a bases loaded situation, allowing a run and then striking out Alabama's Keith Holcombe to the end the game,
The Tigers (29-16 overall, 13-8 SEC) have won 5-of-7 SEC series this season. They are tied for second place in the West with Mississippi State and Ole Miss, which visits LSU for a three-game series starting Friday night in Alex Box Stadium.
Three of LSU's seven hits against four Alabama pitchers on Sunday were for extra bases. But the Tigers could only manage one hit in the last five innings as the Crimson Tide (26-19, 5-16) chipped away at the lead.
"We did what we had to today; it was a tough ball game, but we earned an important victory,” LSU coach Paul Mainieri said. “(Starting pitcher Landon) Marceaux gave us a strong effort -- he was aggressive and confident, and he’s going to get even better. Another huge key to the game was the pitching of Mathew Beck in relief. He was in a groove and pitched magnificently in a very tight game.”
Freshman Marceaux, who has battled shoulder problems most of the season after he began the year as the Tigers' Saturday night starter, settled after a shaky start.
His three-inning shutout midweek performance against Lamar on Tuesday earned him the start against the Crimson Tide. Although Marceaux didn't have his best stuff, he gave the Tigers five solid innings (his longest outing since Feb. 23 against Bryant), allowing two runs on five hits.
He opened the game by giving up back-to-back singles and then a walk to load the bases with no outs. On the verge of disaster, Marceaux remained composed and fired six straight strikes that led to a pair of 'Bama strikeouts. Marceaux walked in a run before inducing the Tide's Johnny Hawk into an inning-ending strikeout.
Then, with one out in the Alabama second and runners on the corners, Marceaux escaped trouble again when LSU third baseman Chris Reid turned a double play.
LSU got its first run in the first inning on shortstop Josh Smith's RBI scoring right fielder Antoine Duplantis, who was just 2-for-13 from the plate in the series.
Tigers' catcher Garza, who had been batting under .200 despite stellar defensive play, broke the 1-1 tie with a solo homer to lead off what became a three-run third inning. Freshman second baseman Gavin Dugas added a two-run RBI single.
LSU sophomore left fielder Daniel Cabrera followed Garza’s suit with a leadoff homer in the fourth, his eighth of the year and matched the number he had as a freshman in 2018.
With a 5-2 cushion and four innings to play, LSU reliever Trent Vietmeier hit the first batter he faced and then allowed a single to put runners at first and second with no outs. On an already short leash, Mainieri pulled the sophomore for junior Matthew Beck who forced two pop outs to end the threat.
Beck retired all five batters he faced in the sixth and seventh innings before giving up a leadoff Alabama homer in the eighth that cut LSU's lead to 5-3..
Fontenot was put in for the three-out save in the ninth and made it interesting before recording the save.
He hit the first batter he faced, followed by a Tide single and walk that loaded the bases with one out. A fielder's choice ground out brought home one run with two outs and runners on second and third. Fontenot followed that up by hitting his second batter of the inning to load the bases once more.
With the series hanging in the balance, Fonteniot struck out Holcombe swinging to nail down the win and the series for LSU.