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Baylor-LSU baseball - NCAA regional

By Brice Cherry | Saturday, May 30, 2009, 05:58 PM

9:20 p.m. — Ball game, as a gritty effort by the Bears comes up short. LSU’s Ott retires the side in the 10th, and the Tigers win, 3-2. Baylor will play Minnesota at 1 p.m. Sunday in an elimination game, with the winner moving on to face the Tigers at 6 p.m. If LSU wins that game, it’ll take the regional. If the Tigers lose that game to either Baylor or Minnesota, a final championship game would be played Monday.

9:13 p.m. — The Tigers seize the lead. Volz gives up one-out walks to Jared Mitchell and D.J. LeMahieu, and then pinch hitter Sean Ochinko belts a grounder that Shaver Hansen dives to stop and keep in the infield. However, Hansen’s flip attempt to Hainsfurther covering second is too high. That sets the stage for Austin Nola, who bangs a single back up the middle for a big-time RBI. Volz gets the next two outs to get out of the inning without further damage, but Baylor will have some work to do against LSU closer Matty Ott in the bottom of the 10th, trailing 3-2.

8:55 p.m. — However this game turns out, Anthony Ranaudo has pitched a humdinger. We’re headed to extra innings here at Alex Box Stadium tied at 2, thanks to Ranaudo striking out the side, giving him a whopping 14 Ks for the game. To have the kind of velocity he did in the ninth inning — Baylor’s batters were consistently late on their swings — is very, very impressive.

8:46 p.m. — Baylor will go the bottom of the ninth with a chance to unbreak the tie and win the game. Volz works out of a jam in the top of the ninth, following up two groundouts with a pair of walks. But he finally ends the inning by getting his Team USA teammate Micah Gibbs from last summer to ground out 3-to-1, with Volz covering first. It’s 2-2 heading to money time.

8:34 p.m. — I said it was going to be a fun finish, didn’t I? This place is electric right now. Baylor manages to tie the game, as pinch hitter Brooks Pinckard opens the inning with a walk, then moves to second on a sacrifice bunt from Gregg Glime, and to third on a Raynor Campbell groundout. Despite a raucous crowd cheering Ranaudo on, Dustin Dickerson patiently draws a walk of his own, and then Joey Hainsfurther comes through with a high chopper that LSU third baseman Tyler Hanover bobbles for an error, allowing Pinckard to score. It’s 2-2 heading to the ninth.

8:19 p.m. — Volz does his job to get out of the inning. On his first pitch, LSU’s Jared Mitchell skies a towering pop up on the infield that Shaver Hansen squeezes behind the mound. A Joey Hainsfurther error, BU’s first of the game, loads the bases, but Volz strikes out Tyler Hanover with a nasty bender to escape unscathed. The score remains 2-1 Tigers going into the bottom of the eighth.

8:11 p.m. — Miller’s outing is over, as Volz will come into the game for Baylor. After getting a flyout from the leadoff batter, Miller walked Micah Gibbs, and then Mikie Mahtook slapped a sharp grounder that Shaver Hansen managed to knock down with a dive at shortstop, but it was clearly an infield hit. By the way, the crowd total is 9,149, an LSU school record. Those are actual butts in the seats.

8:05 p.m. — Wow. Ranaudo steps up big-time in the bottom of the seventh, fanning Miller, Booker and pinch-hitter Kenton Gedwed to ignite the raucous LSU home crowd. The cries of “LSU, LSU!” following Ranaudo’s third strikeout could be heard from Lafayette, I imagine. LSU takes a 2-1 lead into the eighth inning, and we should be in for a fun finish.

7:57 p.m. — Miller has pitched well, as he retires the side in order in the top of the seventh. BU’s only left-handed arm, Miller has six Ks in three innings. That said, as good as he’s pitched, I’d be surprised not to see Baylor bring in Kendal Volz in the eighth. Volz has been warming up the last couple of innings, and Smith said in yesterday’s press conference that “I’m not saving him for Sunday.” I certainly think he probably wouldn’t, given how close the game is. LSU leads 2-1 heading to BU’s half of the seventh.

7:53 p.m. — The fans are being entertained with John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” over the P.A. system. I half-expected to see Pauly Shore doing donuts across the outfield in a combine. (Slightly obscure movie reference).

7:52 p.m. — There won’t be a shutout tonight, as the Bears are on the board thanks to Gregg Glime. BU’s catcher picked an opportune time to crank his third home run of the season, as he led off by curling a solo blast just inside the right-field foul pole. Three batters later, Joey Hainsfurther smacks an infield single, followed by a long fly to the warning track from Shaver Hansen for the third out. Perhaps the Bears are getting to Ranaudo? At any rate, BU has trimmed LSU’s lead to 2-1 after six innings.

7:44 p.m. — Miller works his way out of trouble again. After Jared Mitchell slapped a sharp one-out single and then swiped second on a bang-bang play for his 31st stolen base of the season, Miller struck out D.J. LeMahieu and got Tyler Hanover to ground out to end the inning. Baylor will come up to plate in the bottom of the sixth, still trailing 2-0.

7:39 p.m. — The official scorer has announced a clarification to the play in the second inning where Booker was ruled out when Adam Hornung was judged to have interfered with the catcher. Normally, the hitter would be out on catcher’s interference, but apparently because Hornung struck out on the pitch, the runner was deemed out instead. Check your rulebooks on that one.

7:36 p.m. — Ranaudo again has no problem with the Baylor lineup, setting down Booker, Hornung and Lambert in order. The Bears remain in the game, trailing 2-0 after five, but they’re going to have to get something going offensively if they want to win.

7:30 p.m. — Pretty good stuff from Aaron Miller in the fifth. Things didn’t start so well for the BU southpaw, who gave up a hit to Austin Nola and a walk from Leon Landry to open the inning and draw a visit from Steve Smith. But Miller found his rhythm after that, striking out Ryan Schimpf, Blake Dean and Micah Gibbs to close out the inning. (Those guys are LSU’s 2-3-4 hitters). The Baylor fan contingent is (obviously) outnumbered here at Alex Box Stadium, but they made a fair amount of noise after that impressive show. Score: LSU 2-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth.

7:16 p.m. — Ranaudo is proving filthier than a Bourbon Street burlesque house. (Not that I’d know, mind you). Joey Hainsfurther gives the Bears their second baserunner of the game with a one-out walk, but Ranaudo fans Shaver Hansen and Aaron Miller to close the book on Baylor in the inning. The Bears still have just one hit. Miller is coming on to pitch now for the Bears, who trail 2-0 after four.

7:07 p.m. — The Tigers plated one run, but it could have been a lot worse, as Baylor took advantage of some boneheaded LSU baserunning to avoid further damage. With no outs, D.J. LeMahieu grounded the ball to Shaver Hansen at short, who calmly threw to third for the force on Mikie Mahtook. Inexplicably, Mahtook was going back toward second base. He’d likely have been out anyway, but it made the play even easier. Then a few moments later, Tolleson got a significant pickoff of Jared Mitchell at second base for out No. 2. A come-backer ended the inning, with the Tigers now up 2-0.

7:01 p.m. — We’ve got a developing situation here, as LSU has loaded the bases with a pair of singles and a walk off of Tolleson. BU coach Steve Smith came out to the mound to talk things over with Tolleson, but didn’t pull him — yet. Aaron Miller, who started at DH tonight rather than right field, is hastily working in the Baylor bullpen.

6:54 p.m. — Ranaudo, by the way, has five strikeouts so far tonight, giving him 129 in 96 innings for the season. Yeah, this kid can pitch a little.

6:51 p.m. — LSU’s Ranaudo has faced the minimum nine batters through three innings, as he strikes out Don Lambert and Gregg Glime before inducing a pop-up from Raynor Campbell. The Bears trail 1-0 after three complete innings.

6:43 p.m. — Baylor’s Tolleson unwinds himself out of the first real jam he’s faced in the top of the third. With runners on the corners and two outs, Tolleson comes up with a big strikeout of LSU No. 3 hitter Blake Dean to survive. The score remains 1-0 LSU as we head to the bottom of the third.

6:31 p.m. — Kind of an unsual bottom of the second for the Bears. Ben Booker pokes a one-out single through the infield for BU’s first hit. But then the inning ends on a double play when Adam Hornung strikes out on a Booker steal attempt, then walks in front of the LSU catcher, and is called for interference. Thus, Booker is out. BU coach Steve Smith came out of the dugout to talk about the play with the home plate ump. I’ll have to ask about the play after the game. It’s still 1-0, LSU, through two innings.

6:22 p.m. — LSU rightfielder Jared Mitchell and the Tigers strike first, as Mitchell turns on a 2-2 offering from Tolleson and parks it over the right-field fence for his ninth home run of the season. LSU takes a 1-0 lead after 1.5 innings. Yes, Baylor is indeed the “home” team for this game, even though it’s the Tigers’ park.

6:14 p.m. — LSU righty Anthony Ranaudo matches Tolleson with a 1-2-3 frame of his own, including strikeouts of Dustin Dickerson and Hainsfurther. It’s scoreless after one inning.

6:07 p.m. — Just like Friday, Baylor opens with a fine top of the first. Joey Hainsfurther made a sweet backhanded scoop and leaping throw to first on a roller from the speedy Leon Landry for the first out. Then Shawn Tolleson recorded a strikeout and a flyout for a 1-2-3 frame. No score after a half-inning.

6:03 p.m. — First pitch is imminent, but just wanted to bring you a word about the crowd. It’s a big’un. If it’s not a sellout here at “the Box,” it’s very close. I can only spot a few empty seats here and there. There were plenty of LSU fans outside the park begging for tickets, too.

5:58 p.m. — Hello again, baseball fans. As the strains of Garth Brooks’ “Calling Baton Rouge” fade out, that signals that baseball is about to begin here in Bayou Country. I’ll be along to bring it to you faithful Web followers.

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