That old Alex Box magic came back in stellar form Sunday night as LSU beat Oregon State 6-5 in extra innings in the final round of the Baton Rouge regional.
The Tigers were able to fight back from a late two-run deficit after surrendering an early three-run lead.
LSU coach Paul Mainieri called it “a tremendous victory” for the Tigers, who advance to super regional play this weekend.
“It was a grind out there,” Mainieri said. “Ryan [Eades] was giving it everything he had. We had a great first inning, with the way we started the game with Raph [Rhymes] homerun and so forth.” Mainieri was referring to the junior left fielder’s 2-run homer in the top of the first – the only home run in the regional’s six games.
“I honestly was just trying to hit the ball,” Rhymes said. “I had a rough weekend so far, so I was just really trying to put a good swing on the ball. It happened to leave the park, and it ended up being a pretty big hit.”
However, that’s where LSU’s luck at the plate ended for the next five innings.
In the first 19 batters he faced, Oregon State sophomore reliever Scott Schultz allowed only two Tigers to reach base. Schultz hit senior designated hitter Grant Dozar. Dozar scored later in the inning with the help of OSU senior third baseman Ryan Dunn’s third and fourth errors of the night.
Schultz finally allowed a run when Alex Edward ripped a ninth-inning RBI double to drive in pinch runner Jared Foster for the game-tying run.
Schultz allowed three hits, one earned run and struck out nine LSU hitters.
“It’s what I’ve done all year,” Schultz said. “Get ground ball outs, minimize the pitch count. Just got to trust the defense. I felt like I was in the groove most of the game. I was throwing my pitches downhill and getting ground ball outs.”
As a team, the Tigers produced impressive pitching numbers as well. Four LSU pitchers combined for 15 total strikeouts. Junior closer Nick Goody struck out the side in the 10th inning to earn the save.
“What Nick Goody did, I tell you, that’s true closing,” Mainieri said. “To close a championship with a one-run lead and throw the ball the way he did. That’s why you have to stick with people that have that kind of talent.”
The Tigers will host the winner of Monday night’s Central Florida and Stony Brook game in the Coral Gables regional at Alex Box Stadium, beginning Friday.