LSU, Tulane draws largest crowd ever for college baseball game; SEC roundup

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Posted 7:01AM on Thursday, April 11, 2002

NEW ORLEANS - Aaron Hill drove in four runs on a homer and a single as LSU defeated Tulane 9-5 Wednesday night in the best-attended college baseball game ever. A crowd of 27,673, many of them LSU fans from Baton Rouge, crowded the lower two levels of the Louisiana Superdome along both baselines. The previous college baseball attendance record of 24,859 was set at the 1999 College World Series during back-to-back games in which Miami faced Alabama and Rice took on Oklahoma State. A nonpartisan roar filled the Superdome when the record-breaking attendance was announced in the eighth inning. LSU starter Bo Pettit was perfect through the first four innings on four strikeouts and eight groundouts. He lost the perfect game by walking Michael Aubrey in the fifth, and the no hitter the same inning on a bloop, opposite-field single by Anthony Giarratano. He left after five innings, having given up the one hit and one walk. LSU (21-13) jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first when Sean Barker doubled down the third-base line, scoring Rocky Scelfo from third. Hill then hit a towering two-run homer to left field off of starter Kris Kline in the third to put Tulane (18-17) in a 3-0 hole. With two outs in the top of the fourth, Green Wave shortstop Tommy Manzella booted a Scelfo grounder to load the bases, setting up a two-run single by Hill that gave the Tigers a 5-0 lead and forced reliever Ricky Fairchild from the game. Wave pitcher Beau Richardson ended the LSU fourth, but Barker, Jason Columbs and Chris Phillips all drilled solo homers to left-center in the fifth for an 8-0 LSU lead. Tulane scored two in the seventh when Aubrey slapped a single to right off of reliever LSU Clay Harris. Gerald Clark added a three-run double for Tulane in the bottom of the ninth off reliever Brad David, but Clark was thrown out after over-running second. ALABAMA 5, UAB 3 BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - Beau Hearod's three-run homer in the fifth inning led No. 3 Alabama to a 5-3 win over UAB Wednesday night. The game was tied 1-1 going into the top of the fifth. Hearod's homer over the 30-foot center field wall scored Scott McLanahan and Jeremy Brown, who got on base after being hit by an Andre Parks pitch. Hearod had three RBIs and his eighth home run of the season for the Crimson Tide (29-5). UAB (9-23) scored in the first on a Kyle Leon single to drive in Chad House. Leon had a triple in the sixth to bring in Eric Lyon. Leon had two RBIs on two hits. In the ninth inning, the Blazers scored when Seth Rollin tripled and scored on Mark Garner's ground out. Jared Woodward (3-1) got the win, allowing two runs on seven hits in five solid innings. Brian Reed had his seventh save of the season. Parks (1-7) took the loss, allowing three runs on two hits in 2 1/3 innings. The Tide stays on the road to play Kentucky in a three-game Southeastern Conference series starting Friday at 6 p.m. OLE MISS 4, MURRAY ST. 0 OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - Bryce Morrison hit a two-run double with two outs to cap a three-run third inning as Mississippi captured its 12th consecutive win with a 4-0 victory over Murray State on Wednesday night. Barry Gunther scored the game's first run on a wild pitch in the third after drawing a leadoff walk. He later added an RBI double in the seventh inning to put Ole Miss (27-7) on top 4-0. Murray State (10-16) used three different pitchers to limit the Rebels to just three hits, but the Racers had little success at the plate. Murray State had only six hits off four Ole Miss pitchers. Seth Smith went 0-for-3 at the plate for the Rebels to snap his 10-game hitting streak. Kyle Bateman (2-0) allowed three hits over five innings to earn the win. Mike Noonan (0-1) gave up three runs on two hits to six innings to take the loss for Murray State. S. CAROLINA 2, THE CITADEL 0 COLUMBIA, S.C. - Chris Spigner and Blake Taylor combined on a five-hit shutout Wednesday for seventh-ranked South Carolina's 2-0 win against The Citadel. Spigner (3-0) struck out 10 batters and allowed three hits in his seven innings at the mound in the fastest game played by the Gamecocks (25-8) this season. Taylor, in his eighth save of the season, held the win by striking out three batters. The Citadel (19-13) had three pitchers, with left-hander Paul Williams (2-4) taking the loss. Williams gave up four hits and one run in six innings. South Carolina's Landon Powell singled in the second inning to bring in Trey Dyson and take a 1-0 lead. Steve Thomas hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth to drive Yaron Peters, who had hit a double, home for the second Gamecock run. The Bulldogs' Matt Dean and Josh Stackley singled with one out in the fourth, but Spigner pitched out of it with a strikeout and a fly ball. Chip Cannon walked and Jon Aughey singled, sending Cannon to third base with one out in the ninth, but Taylor picked Aughey off. Dean hit a fly ball to center field to end the game. MISSISSIPPI ST. 11, MISS. VALLEY ST. 1 STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI - Enrico Jones had two hits and a career-high five RBIs and pitcher Ryan Carroll picked up his first career win as Mississippi State beat Mississippi Valley State 11-1 on Wednesday. Mississippi State (18-11-1) got its fourth victory in the last five games. The Bulldogs never let Mississippi Valley State (7-31) get close. Jones hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning, a two-run double in the sixth and drove in a fifth run on a sacrifice fly during a five-run seventh inning. Mississippi State jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first, added a run in the third and built a 4-0 lead in the fourth. Valley scored its only run in the fifth inning. Carroll retired the six batters he faced in two innings to pick up the win. Carroll and seven other pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts and allowed only two hits. Michael Brown went 3-for-3 for Mississippi State. MVSU pitcher Trey Wall (0-9) took the loss, giving up four runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings.