A day removed from some late inning magic, the baseball gods were nowhere to be found for Paul Mainieri’s club Saturday.
Tennessee pushed across four runs in the final two frames against senior Tiger pitcher Kurt McCune and freshman hurler Parker Bugg to overcome a 3-2 deficit and defeat LSU 6-3 for the Volunteers’ first win against the Tigers (32-11-1, 11-8-1 Southeastern Conference) since April 19, 2009.
“Being 100 percent honest, I don’t think we played a bad game tonight,” Mainieri said. “I’ve been doing this a long time and some nights the baseball gods just are against you.”
With his team ahead 3-2, Mainieri yanked LSU freshman starter Jared Poche’ to begin the eighth, inserting McCune. He promptly issued back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners with no outs before getting designated hitter Nick Senzel to look at a called third strike.
Mainieri then brought in senior closer Joe Broussard, who induced a sharp grounder to first off the bat of Volunteer center fielder Derek Lance.
Tiger first baseman Kade Scivicque knocked down the hot shot, but bobbled it twice, allowing the tying run to score and taking away a double play possibility.
Tennessee third baseman Taylor Smart followed Lance with a high chopper up the middle, fielded on the run by LSU shortstop Alex Bregman.
“It was not hit well,” Bregman said. “[I] had a little trouble getting [the ball] out of my glove. I didn’t really have a shot.”
Bregman tried a desperation throw home, but Tennessee left fielder Christin Stewart was breaking on the pitch and beat the throw easily, putting the Volunteers up 4-3.
In the home half of the frame, the Tigers loaded the bases with only one out, bringing up junior catcher Tyler Moore as the 8,121 in attendance roared.
“[Moore] couldn’t have hit the ball any harder,” Mainieri said. “Right at [Tennessee second baseman Will Maddox]. Double play.”
Bugg entered in the top of the ninth and struggled to find the plate, walking his first batter before issuing a no-doubt, two-run homer over the right field fence to pinch hitter Vincent Jackson to send many Tiger fans in attendance to an early exit.
After surrendering three hits and a run in the first two innings, Poche’ battled back to find a groove and give the Tigers seven innings of two-run baseball.
“All my pitches were working, I was able to locate them and put them wherever I needed to put them,” Poche’ said. “It’s always tough losing, but we’ll be alright.”
Bregman seemed to break out of his offensive SEC doldrums in the early going, lacing an RBI single in the first and coming around to score after leading off the second with a double.
But, as Mainieri lamented afterward, the baseball gods worked against the Tigers. He lamented a seventh inning situation that could have broken open a big inning.
Tiger leadoff hitter Andrew Stevenson started the inning with a walk.
“I’m going for the win right there,” Mainieri said. “I put on the hit-and-run.”
LSU sophomore right fielder Mark Laird obliged, smoking a line drive toward shortstop. Volunteer shortstop A.J. Simcox — who was rushing to cover second —ranged over to his right to snare the liner and easily doubled off Stevenson.
Bregman flew out one batter later to end the inning.
“It’s a game of failure,” Bregman said. “We did a lot of good things tonight but we didn’t come out on top. We’re so ready to get back out there tomorrow. We can’t wait.”