Cleveland Verdin
May 26, 2008
Dr. Charles "Chuck" Binford
May 28, 2008
Blake Dean’s two-run homer Sunday highlighted a five-run LSU fifth inning, and Louis Coleman fired six scoreless relief innings to lead the eighth-ranked Tigers to an 8-2 victory over Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament championship game at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala.
The Tigers (43-16-1) won their 20th straight game, establishing a school record. The previous mark of 19 consecutive wins was set by the 1997 club. The Tigers, who trailed Ole Miss 2-1 entering the bottom of the fifth inning, won for the 16th time during the 20-game streak after facing a deficit.
LSU claimed its seventh SEC Tournament championship and its first since 2000. LSU and Alabama are tied for the most league tournament titles with seven apiece.
The Tigers will play host to a regional starting Friday in Baton Rouge.
LSU won the title by winning four games in five days. The Tigers started off the tournament by beating South Carolina, 5-4, in 10 innings on Wednesday. LSU then topped Vanderbilt, 8-2, on Thursday. On Saturday, the Tigers defeated Alabama, 12-8.
Blake Dean, who had three home runs in the tournament, was named the tourney’s Most Valuable Player. Dean had a game-winning homer against South Carolina, a key grand slam to fuel the comeback against Alabama and a two-run shot against Ole Miss.
Coleman (6-0) got the victory against the Rebels after throwing six innings of scoreless relief. LSU posted a five-run sixth inning en route to the victory on Sunday.
Against Alabama, the Tigers were down 6-4 heading into the eighth inning. LSU posted six runs in the top of the eighth and two more in the ninth. Anthony Ranaudo (1-0) got the win after throwing two innings of scoreless relief. Jared Mitchell and Dean each had three hits, while Dean notched RBIs in the contest.
In the victory against Vanderbilt, LSU fell behind 1-0 after four innings, but put up four runs in the fifth and then got a three-run homer from Derek Helenini to go up 7-1 in the game. Starter Blake Martin (5-3) got the win after allowing four hits and one run in seven innings.
The most heart-stopping victory of the tournament came in the first round against South Carolina early Wednesday. Trailing 4-0 heading to the bottom of the ninth inning, LSU forced extra innings, largely due to Matt Clark’s three-run homer. Dean hit a solo shot in the bottom of the 10th inning to keep the Tigers’ winning streak alive. Jared Bradford (10-4) picked up the win after throwing a perfect 10th inning.
FOOTBALL TEAM WILL OPEN UP 2009 SEASON IN SEATTLE
LSU will resume a football series with a Pac-10 school next year as the Tigers open the 2009 season against Washington in Seattle.
LSU and Washington will meet on Sept. 5, 2009 in Husky Stadium in the first of two games scheduled between the teams. Washington will make the return trip to Baton Rouge on Sept. 29, 2012.
The meeting between the two teams next year in Seattle will mark only the second time the schools have squared off in football. In the only other contest between the teams, LSU posted a 40-14 win over Washington in 1983 in Tiger Stadium. At the time, a Tiger Stadium record crowd of 82,390 watched as the unranked Tigers, behind three rushing touchdowns by quarterback Jeff Wickersham, upset the ninth-ranked Huskies.
LSU’s game against Washington will mark the fifth time in the last eight years that the Tigers have met a member of the Pac-10 in a regular season contest, a stretch that dates back to a 59-13 road win over Arizona in 2003. Other LSU games against Pac-10 teams in recent years include a 22-21 overtime win over Oregon State in Tiger Stadium to open the 2004 season; a 35-31 road victory over Arizona State to start the 2005 season, and a 45-3 victory over Arizona in Tiger Stadium in 2006.
LSU is 12-3 all-time against members of the Pac-10, which includes a 2-0 mark in games under head coach Les Miles.
Blake Dean blasted a two-run homer Sunday against Ole Miss, leading the Tigers to an 8-2 win in SEC Tournament play. * Photo courtesy of STEVE FRANZ / LSU
