We didn’t get tickets to watch LSU baseball destroy UC Irvine in the third and final game in this super regionals, so we’re stuck here at home watching it. Even though it’s only the first inning, we already know that LSU is heading to Omaha for the 2008 College World Series! We figured we’d write this one up inning by inning for fun.
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UCI is first to bat in the first. 3 up, 3 down. Blake Martin pitching for LSU looks great. Yes!
LSU takes the bat. OMG!!! 3 home runs in a row by Micah Gibbs, Blake Dean, and Matt Clark!! LSU scores 6 runs on 5 hits in the first. The Anteaters’ pitcher is taken out the game with only 2/3 of an inning played. Destiny is here!!!
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UCI goes 3 up and 3 down again. Blake Martin has his A game for LSU tonight.
Dean hits a double with 1 out. Gibbs backs that up with another double to drive Dean in for the run. Clark hits a blooper for the out. DJ drives it deep to right field for the long 3rd out. LSU up after 2 innings 7 to zip!!
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Irvine up to bat in the 3rd. Eric Deregich (sp?) drives one deep to left field for the home run. The wind is kicking the ball out to the left. Dillan Bell hits the double up the middle to the fence. UC Irvine takes the sacrifice bunt to bring Bell to third. Irvine hits an easy outer and leaves Bell stuck on third with two outs. UCI pops up to shallow right for the third out. Anteaters are on the board with 1 run.
Tigers up to bat. The crowd is really into this game in Baton Rouge. This will be the final game played at historic Alex Box stadium. You can tell that there is a special feeling in the air. I’ve never seen a baseball crowd so into a game this early. Leon Landry drives it into right field for the lead off single. LSU takes the sacrifice bunt up the middle to move Landry to second. It didn’t work. Landry is out at second. Helenihi is on first with 1 out. LSU strikes out. Mike Hollander up to bat with 2 outs. Helenihi steals to second with 2 outs. Hollander walks. LSU has a man on 1st and 2nd with two outs. Jared Mitchell up to bat. Jared chops it into right for the single. Helenihi scores with two outs and a man on 1st and 3rd. Blake Dean up to bat. Blake pops it over 2nd for the single. Hollander scores to make it 9 - 1. LSU has a man on 1st and 3rd. Micah Gibbs up to bat. Gibbs pops up for the 3rd out. LSU ahead after 3 nine to one!!!
Skipp Bertman gave an interview to the ESPN crew that lasted for the entire inning. It was fun to listen to Skip.
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Anteaters up to bat in the 4th. Jeff leads off with a sharp hit into the left corner for the double. Next batter hits it right at shortstop for the out. UCI has a man on second. Francis Larson up to bat. Larson hits it deep to right for the out. Jeff moves to 3rd with 2 outs. Stupid ESPN!! They switched to the Fresno game so we missed UC Irvine’s 3rd out. LSU up 9 to 1 after 3 and 1/2 innings played.
LSU up to bat. We just found out that Georgia is in the CWS. Congrats Georgia! Matt Clark leads off the hitting for LSU. Clark hits it deep up the middle for the out. DJ up to bat. LeMahieu taps it into center field for the single. Landry up to bat. Landry strikes out. Helenihi up to bat for LSU with 2 outs. Helenihi strikes out. LSU up 9 to 1 heading into the 5th inning!
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Eric Deragison is the lead off batter for the Anteaters in the 5th. Blake Martin’s pitching is still looking great. They just showed some LSU fans that climbed in the trees to watch the game! lol Eric drives it deep for the triple off the center wall. Landry got hurt trying to jump and catch the ball at the top of the fence. That ball was inches from being out. They just showed on replay that Landry was struck in the face by the baseball when it bounced off the wall. Ouch!!! The LSU doctor is on the field checking Landry out. He’s really hurt. Landry walks off the field to a cheering crowd. His eye is swelling shut! Landry looks like a boxer at the end of 10 rounds. Jesus! Blood is on his face where the ball struck him right below the right eye. Bell up for UCI with no outs and a man on third. Bell walks. Anteaters have runners at the corners with no outs. Might be time to warm the bench? Aaron Lowenstein up to bat. Aaron takes it deep for the foul. Time to get that bullpen into action!! Popped up deep to left. LSU throws to home for the out but the dang ump calls him safe. Was he safe? I don’t know. Very close play at home. This is the same ref that screwed up on the hidden ball play 2 games ago. Ollie Linton up to bat with 1 out. They are hitting them really deep now. I think LSU will be switching pitchers by next inning. Linton strikes out. 2 outs. LSU up 9 to 2. Ben Orloff up to bat. Orloff hits a single to left but LSU commits the error and runners advance to 2nd and 3rd. Paul Maineri approaches the field and calls for the pitching change. Good plan! Jordan brown takes over pitching for LSU. Cuseck (sp?) up to bat for Irvine. Popped up to center for the third out. LSU up 9 to 2.
Ryan Schimph up to lead off the Tigers. Home run to left!!!! LSU over UCI 10 to 2! Hollander pops it deep to center for the 1st out. Tom Calahan takes over pitching for UCI. Jared Mitchell up to bat. Jared strikes out. Blake Dean up. Dean takes it deep to right for a long single and his 4th hit tonight! Micah Gibbs up. Gibbs bounces it off the center wall for the double and the rbi to score Dean. Clark is hit in the back. 2 outs and LSU has runners at 1st and 2nd. Callahan is pulled out and Crosby Slot comes in for UC Irvine in pitching. DJ up to bat for LSU. DJ walks. Johnny Dishon up to bat. Dishon walks and a runnnr walks home to take LSU up 12 to 2. Bases loaded with 2 outs. Helenihi up and bloops the ball into right for a single and 2 rbi’s. 14-2 LSU. This game is sooooo over!!! UCI is out of pitchers and the man they have throwing looks like a deer caught in headlights. Schimpf is up for LSU. Schimpf drives it hard into right for the double and to score two more runs for LSU. 16-2. Hollander is up at bat. Hollander strikes out after LSU scores 7 in the 5th!
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Down by 14, Irvine is up to bat in the 6th. I’m pretty sure they would rather forfeit if they could at this point. Brock Bardeen leads off with a double deep to center. Irvine strikes out. 1 out and an Anteater on 2nd. Hoechlin up for UCI. Schimpf makes a great play to stop the ball and get Hoechlin out at first. Brock on 3rd and Eric up to bat with 2 outs. Eric strikes out.
LSU up to bat in the 6th with a 14 run cushion 16-2. Mitchell takes it deep to the wall in center for the out. Dean hits it to the wall for the double with 1 out. Gibbs up. Noel Avison pitching for UCI. Dean advances to third on a mistake by the catcher. LSU hits into a fielder’s choice and Dean gets stuck for the second out. Clark is at bat with 2 outs and a man on 1st. Clark walks to place a man on 1st and 2nd for LSU with 2 outs. LeMahey pops out to right to end the inning LSU 16 UCI 2.
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Bell leads off with a homerun into right to bring the score to 16-3 in the 7th inning. Lowenstein up 2 bat for UCI. 8,348 LSU fans in attendance at Alex Box! Linton pops it for a double. Linton steals to 3rd with 1 out. Clark catches a foul in right for the out but Linton goes home to make it 16 to 4. Fisher up for UCI. Fisher hits it to the wall for the 2 out triple. Jordan Brown is pulled out and Ryan Byrd takes over at pitching for LSU. Brock Bardeen up to bat for the Anteaters. Clark makes the stop for the third out. UCI scores 2 in the 7th.
UCI brings in another pitcher. Johnny leads off with a home run for LSU. Tigers up 17-4 in the 7th. Helenihi drives it up the middle for a single. Schimpf up. Schimpf cracks it into right for a 2 run home run!!! Tigers ahead 19-4. This is getting sick! Hollander up to bat. And he strikes out. Nick Pontiff comes in to pinch hit. Nick cracks it deep to left for the out. Dean walks. Ochinko pops out to end the inning LSU up 19-4!!
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Long game as we head into the 8th at 9:25 PM. This will be almost a 4 hour game in regulation! That’s what happens when a team scores 19 through 7 innings. Shawn leads off with a really nice triple without an error. Ryan Byrd on the mound for LSU. Hecklen drives it up the middle for a rbi single. LSU up 19 to 5. Josh takes it into left field for a long single for UC Irvine. No outs, men on 1st and 2nd for Irvine. Bell takes it down the right line to score 1 and leave a man on 2nd and 3rd with a score of 19-6. Byrd is pulled out and Austin Ross steps in to pitch for LSU as UCI rallies in the 8th. Lowenstein pops out but UCI scores another to make it 19-7. Ollie up to bat. Ollie pops out. Orloff at the plate for UCI. He walks. Anteaters have a man on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs in the 8th. Nick Pontiff steals a double with a great jump and catch.
LSU up to bat in the bottom of the 8th inning leading UCI by a score of 19-7. Kyle in for pitching for UCI. Their 7th pitcher of the night. Haydell up to bat for LSU. Haydell slaps the piss out of the ball over the left wall for his 1st home run of the year and LSU’s 7th hr of the night! Wow!!! LSU up 20-7. DJ up to bat. DJ punches it into left for the easy single. Johnny up for LSU. Johnny watches the third strike. 1 out with a man on first for the Tigers. Another batter strikes out for LSU. McGhee up for LSU. He pops it into short left for a single. LSU has a man on 1st and 2nd. Hollender puts it into left for a single and another rbi! LSU up 21-7. Pontiff up for the Tigers. LSU has had 24 hits tonight!! Pontiff is called out for accidentally throwing the bat into the dug out. Unless UCI manages to score 13, that was LSU’s last bat in Alex Box.
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UCI needs to score 14 in the 9th to stay alive. Brock Bardeen leads off for the Anteaters. He strikes out. 2 outs to go! Shawn steps up for UC Irvine. He punches it to right and is out at 2nd. 1 out to go!! The last out in the baseball stadium that has been the home to the LSU Tigers since 1938!! It’s over!!!!
LSU WINS!! LSU WINS!!!!
WE ARE GOING TO OMAHA FOR THE 2008 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!!
GEAUX TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
