Baton Rouge, La- They’ve been here before. In fact, it was last week where the LSU Tigers had to comeback and win the Baton Rouge against Southern Miss the two games they faced the Golden Eagles. Last Saturday LSU saw a comfortable four-nothing lead tied up with a grand slam by Matthew Guidry. The Tigers would comeback in the eight and ninth inning to beat the Southern Eagles 8-4. In the Regional Championship Game against the same Southern Miss team the Tigers were down 4-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning when Tigers would score three runs off four hits to win and advance to the Super Regional 8-4.
“I’m proud of our guys, I thought they played hard today,” Paul Mainieri said. ‘They gave it everything they had. I hurt for them, but we don’t have any time to feel sorry for ourselves. We have to win tomorrow or the season is over. They are going to have some time to digest it and get ready to go tomorrow behind (LSU’s Sunday starting pitcher Landon) Marceaux. Hopefully we will play just a little bit better.”
The Tigers looked to have Game One of the Super Regional against Florida State in hand Saturday afternoon, but in the seventh inning the Noles’ Albert Reese 3-run home run to right field silenced the 11,636 in attendance as Florida State would tie the game. Reese was not done single handling beating the Tigers with his bat. In his at bat a solo home run to give the Seminoles the two run lead to take Game One 6-4.
Sunday evening showdown will another “back against the wall” game for the LSU Tigers. Former Destreahan Wildcat Landon Marceaux will take the mound for the Tigers. His last outing was over a week ago against Stony Brook going five innings, giving up seven hits, two runs with one of those earned and strikeout three batters. Marceaux will have to carry the team through the late innings because the bullpen will be without Todd Peterson who pitched most of Game One with four and one-third innings, giving up three hits and strikeout four. The Tigers will have to eliminate the walks in order to stay alive Sunday and force a game three, Saturday Tiger pitchers walked ten batters.
Game Two start time is set for Sunday evening at five o’clock.