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LSU edges Rice with a dramatic late rally
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First-base coach Javi Sanchez of LSU celebrates with Blake Dean.
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Published: June 18, 2008
Updated: 06/18/2008 12:15 am
OMAHA, Neb. - OMAHA, Neb. - Blake Dean hit a three-run double off the left-field wall in the bottom of the ninth inning to keep LSU alive in the College World Series with a 6-5 victory over Rice yesterday.
Dean drove Cole St. Clair's 1-0 pitch on a line to the fence, and he was mobbed by teammates shortly after he arrived at second base. The celebration was the culmination of LSU's rally from a 5-0 deficit.
LSU (49-18-1) has come from behind in 30 of its wins this season. But this was different. This was Omaha, a place that hasn't been so kind to the Tigers since they won their last national championship in 2000. The Tigers were two outs away from losing a sixth straight game in Omaha since that national title.
"Believing isn't the issue," Dean said. "There's no doubt in our mind that we were going to do it."
Rice (47-15), which led 5-0 in the seventh, could have broken the Tigers' spirit in the eighth when Micah Gibbs was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. The Tigers had trimmed their deficit to 5-2 at that point and seemed to have momentum when Gibbs was nailed.
"I thought maybe we've run out of our good fortune for the year," Coach Paul Mainieri LSU said. "I shouldn't have any second thoughts about these guys."
Louis Coleman (8-0) set down the Owls in order in the ninth. Nicholas Pontiff grounded out to start the bottom half, and the Tigers were two outs from going home.
No problem.
"I don't think these guys know what quit means," outfielder Jared Mitchell said.
Derek Helenihi singled and St. Clair hit Sean Ochinko with an 0-2 pitch. Then Michael Hollander hit an RBI single before Mitchell reached base to load the bases when Rice shortstop Rick Hague bobbled a ground ball and couldn't make a play.
Up came Dean to face St. Clair (10-3), one of the top relievers in the nation. St. Clair's 0-1 pitch was a fastball away, and the left-handed-batting Dean sent it on a line over left fielder Aaron Luna's head.
The ball bounced hard off the fence, allowing Mitchell to come around and score the winning run.
"We were given an opportunity," Dean said, "and we seized it."
Just like they did in the super regionals, when they were down three runs in the ninth inning against UC Irvine on June 8. Three outs from being eliminated there, they rallied to win 9-7.
Two days after seven Rice pitchers were battered for four homers and a season-high 17 runs on Sunday, Rice starter Chris Kelley limited LSU to four hits in 52/3 shutout innings.
While St. Clair never found his rhythm, he still looked good enough to finish off the Tigers.
He struck out Matt Clark, the national home-run leader, with two men on base to end the sixth inning.
The Tigers scored their first run when St. Clair was called for a balk in the seventh.
The second run came home in the eighth on Gibbs' double into the right-field corner. Gibbs tried to score on DJ LeMahieu's two-out single to right. The throw from Chad Mozingo reached the plate just as Gibbs arrived. Rice catcher Adam Zornes, who was blocking the plate, made the tag but dropped the ball. As Gibbs struggled to climb over Zornes and touch the plate, Zornes tagged him again.
"In my mind, it gave us the sense that we were going to win the game," Zornes said.
Dean said: "That was a punch in our face and knocked us back. But we had three more outs to go."
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