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In a game filled with many heroes in the previous innings and an8-8 score in the 11th inning, LSU right fielder JonZeringue provided the final heroics.Zeringue launched his 12th home runof the season into the left field stands and lifted the Tigers to a9-8 win over North Carolina-Wilmington to win the 2003 Baton RougeRegional and advance to the NCAA Super Regional. The times, datesand location for the Super Regional will be announced Monday.Zeringue’s home run sent the 6,418 fansat Alex Box Stadium – who had sweltered through three hoursand 31 minutes of baseball in the Louisiana heat – into afrenzy and capped a wild day of baseball at The Box, which climaxedwith the Tigers (43-19-1) mobbing Zeringue as he crossed homeplate.Zeringue said there was no doubt in his mindthe ball was out of the park when it left the bat.”Everybody wants to be in thespotlight,” Zeringue said. “It was the perfectsituation. I just got real lucky. Anybody could have come up anddone it. I have confidence in everyone on the team.”Said shortstop Aaron Hill, “You reallyfelt the togetherness of this team, especially when it endedthere.”A lot happened for both squads before Zeringuegot his chance.UNCW took an 8-7 lead in the top of the 10thinning off reliever Jason Determann (6-0) before the Tigers beganto rally in the bottom half.Lead-off hitter Bruce Sprowl reached first ona single with one out, which brought the eventual Regional MostOutstanding Player J.C. Holt to the plate. Holt ripped a line driveat Seahawks second baseman Russ Simmerman, and it appearedSimmerman would catch it and double off Sprowl at first to end thegame to force another game between the two schools. But Simmermandropped the ball and it skipped behind him and Sprowl went to thirdand Holt reached first.This set up Hill, who singled to tie the game8-8.”Coach (Skip) Bertman came up to us alittle while ago and he said ‘it’s kind of funny thethings that happen at The Box,'” said Holt, whofinished the tournament 9-for-14. “Potential game endingdouble play and it just so happens that he boots it. That was a bigpart. It allowed Aaron to get up and get that game tying hit. I amglad God was on our side today.”The Seahawks (40-23) committed four errors onthe day, which led to four LSU runs.”I think everybody in the infield made amistake today,” said UNCW first baseman Matt Wright.”And it seems like every mistake we made, they ended upscoring. Sooner or later, it’s going to catch up toyou.”The Tigers failedto score any more runs in the 10th and the game went tothe 11th, when Zeringue hit his home run off relieverRonald Hill (7-2).LSU got an early 2-0 lead in the first inningon RBI singles from Hill and Blake Gill.But the Seahawks roared back with fiveunanswered runs – off LSU starter Bo Pettit.Pettit served up a solo home run to RussSimmerman in the second and Wright clubbed his first of his twohome runs to give UNCW a 4-2 lead. Right field Matt Sutton laterfollowed with a solo shot.”These guys can hit pretty good,”Pettit said. “Today I just wanted to keep the team close andin the game. It was a great team effort. Together, I think weplayed a hell of a ballgame. I made a few bad pitches to the guysand they did what they were supposed to do.”LSU scrapped back with three runs in thefourth to tie it on a solo home run from Ryan Patterson and RBIsfrom an Aaron Hill walk with the bases loaded and another hit fromGill.But LSU just couldn’t pull away from theSeahawks and Wright hit his second home run of the game – a2-run shot – off Pettit. Wright finished the game with fiveRBIs.Pettit did not receive a decision in the game,but he did not give in and held on for seven innings while allowingseven runs. He only walked two batters and had nine strikeouts.”If somebody comes to me before the gameand says ‘would you take Bo Pettit going seven innings andstriking out nine and walking two and only giving up sixhits?’ I will say I’ll take it and let’s startplaying in the eighth,” said LSU coach Smoke Laval. “Idon’t think he pitched real bad.”Then Laval lookedand Pettit with a smirk grin on his face.”Bo, thosewere some monster shots though,” he joked which broughtlaughter from everyone in the room. “You go down in history.They were like the four longest ever.”That’s one thing about Bo, if you noticed. Hedidn’t give in. In other words, he wasn’t afraid tocome back and keep throwing strikes.”LSU would comeback to tie the game 7-7 with runs in the fifth and sixth, bothruns aided by UNCW errors.”I was realproud of the team,” Holt said. “We played catch up thewhole day, and I knew we’d win it if we kept it close. Itjust shows you the heart of this teUNCW coach MarkScalf was also proud of his team.”You know,it doesn’t get any better than that right there,” Scalfsaid. “From a fan’s standpoint, you definitelycan’t script it out any better than that. From a coach andplayer’s standpoint, it’s awful difficult to play thattype of game.”Both teamscompeted the entire day. We made too many mistakes, and they swungthe bats better than we did and were able to put the final run onthe board late. I couldn’t be any prouder of the young men onour club who have played as well as they have and carried us tothis point. To be quite honest, I don’t know that they wantedto play us one more time.”
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