Sports

The winner of game two will play Vanderbilt tomorrow at 12pm CT. Game two will consist of only seven innings. Nolan Cain will take the mound for the Tigers. He is 4-0 with a 4.94 era. For Georgia, Jeff Walters takes the hill. He’s 2-0 with a 4.23 era.

Georgia Bulldogs           LSU Tigers
lf – Zach Cone              lf – Leon Landry
cf – Matt Cerione        1b – Ryan Schimpf
1b – Rich Poythress    dh – Blake Dean
c – Bryce Massanari    c – Micah Gibbs
dh – Joey Lewis           cf – Mikie Mahtook
rf – Lyle Allen               rf – Jared Mitchell
3b – Colby May            2b – DJ LeMahieu
ss – Levi Hyams           3b – Tyler Hanover
2b – David Thoms       ss – Austin Nola

FINAL: LSU HOLDS ON TO WIN, 3-2, IN THE 7TH.

Top 7th, UGA 2, LSU 3: Colby May leads off for the Bulldogs and gets on with a hit right back up the middle. Hyams hits into a 4-6-3 double play, even thought the hit-and-run was on. Robbie O’Bryan enters the game to pitch for Miles Starr. O’Bryan fouls out to 1st to end the game. LSU wins two to have a chance to play for the title tomorrow at 12pm CT.

Bottom 6th, UGA 2, LSU 3: Hanover shoots a ground ball to the left of Starr at second–Starr over dives the ball, regains composure, but the throw from his knees is a little late. Nola lays down a sacrifice bunt that puts Hanover to second. Landry, after taking the first pitch strike, sends one right back up the middle. Hanover tries to score from 1st, but Cerione guns him down at home.

Georgia brings in Tanner to relieve Earls. Tanner gets Schimpf to fly out to the warning track. We go to the top of the 7th–Georgia’s last 3 outs–LSU leads by 1.

Top 6th, UGA 1, LSU 3: Cone sends a hard hit ground ball down the 3rd base line allowing him a stand-up double, identical to his first double of the night. Cerione grounds out to shortstop, Cone unable to advance. Poythress draws a walk on six pitches–Cain really looked like he was pitching around him. Massanari muscles a single through the infield out into left which allows Cone to score his second run of the game.

LSU brings Chad Jones into the game. Cain ends the day with a solid line: 5.1 innings pitched striking out five and only allowing only 2 runs. Jones, who will start at free saftey for the Tigers in the fall, gets Allen to ground into what looks like a 4-6-3 double play, but LeMahieu makes a wild throw to first which allows causes the throw to first to be late. Georgia has runners at 1st and 3rd with two outs.

The Tiger’s are going to make another pitching change bringing in Paul Bertuccini in to relieve Jones. Just a side note, Jones was only made a pitcher about a month ago by LSU head coach Paul Maineri.

Lewis ends the inning when his check swing deflects a dribbler towards first baseman Schimpf who steps on third out. It’s 11:15 here, and this place is rocking which is really suprising after such a long rain delay. We go to the bottom of the 6th inning, UGA 2, LSU 3.

Bottom 5th, UGA 1, LSU 1: Harvil records his first strikeout making Nola look silly on his third-strike swing. Leon Landry, who made a spectacular catch in the top half, hits a single into right…on a first-pitch strike. How bout that?

Georgia makes a pitching change bringing in Michael Palazzone–he’s 3-0 with a 4.91 era. He gave up three runs to LSU in the April series. Palazzone’s struggles with LSU continue, issuing a five-pitch walk to Schimpf. Next batter, Dean, draws a walk to load up the bases.

Micah Gibbs hits a single that just makes it out of the infield allowing Landry and Schimpf to score giving LSU a 2-run lead. Palazzone really looks like he’s overpitching. Regions Park is as loud as I’ve ever heard it–these LSU fans are relentless. Mahtook is sent back to the dugout on strikes, but the Tigers still have runners on 1st and 2nd.

Georgia brings in Just Earls in relief of Palazzone–who finishes allowing 1 run on a hit and 2 walks–he is still responsible for both runners on. Earls starts thing off allowing a huge walk to Jared Mitchell after being ahead 1-2. DJ LeMahieu hits a sharp grounder to third, but May smuthers it, and steps on third to end the inning, stranding 3 LSU runners. At the end of the inning, UGA 1, LSU 3.

Top 5th, UGA 1, LSU 1: Colby May starts the inning with a wild swinging strikeout that sends the LSU fans into a frenzy. It’s Cain’s fourth of the night. Levi Hyams sends a trailing line drive to left, but Leon Landry shows off the leather making a catch that is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Cain gets his 5th of the night when he freezes Taylor on an inside breaking ball. End of the top half–still tied.

Bottom 4th, UGA 1, LSU 1: Mahtook draws a four-pitch walk on a wild pitch. Georgia makes a pitching change bringing in Will Harvil–Palazzone is still warming in the bullpen. Jared Mitchell grounds out in a 3-1 for the 1st ot of the inning. LeMahieu grounds out to Colby May who makes an excellent stop and even better throw over to first for out two. Tyler Hanover grounds to May too, who has plenty of time to throw to first for the final out of the inning. Still tied, three innings left.

Top 4th, UGA 1, LSU 1: Massanari hits a weak dribler directly at 2b DJ LeMahieu who throws to 1st base for the first out. Lyle Allen can’t hold back his swing on what would have been a sure-ball four to strike out. Joey Lewis’ drought at the plate continues when he ends the inning grounding into a 5-3. UGA 1, LSU 1.

Bottom 3rd, UGA 1, LSU 0: Normal strikeout victim Leon Landry makes contact and flies out to Zach Cone on the left field warning track for the first out. Jim Varney, the Times’ LSU beat writer, told me earlier that since Landry’s hot start, he’s only been really successful with contact on first pitche strikes, after that he usually strikes out. After fouling off several pitches with a 3-2 count, Schimpf draws a lead-off walk.

Georgia pitching coach Brady Weiderhold makes a visit to the mound as action gets going in the Georgia bullpen–Michael Palazzone is up and warming.

Blake Dean hits a double off the right center field wall plating Schimpf from second. Walters cuts off the throw home which leads to Dean getting gunned down after a short rundown. Gibbs grounds out to second to end the inning, but not before tying up the game. UGA 1, LSU 1.

Top 3rd, UGA 1, LSU 0: Zach Cone hits a deep fly ball to dead center, but the wind catches it in time, allowing CF Mahtook to make the grab on the warning track. Cerione pops out to left field of rthe second out–the wind caught it, and swirled it around a bit, but Landry stuck with it and made the catch. Poythress goes down swinging to end the inning. UGA 1, LSU 0.

Bottom 2nd, UGA 1, LSU 0: Jeff Walters gets his second strike out in as many innings and sends Mikie Mahtook back to the dugout. Jared Mitchell works to a full count and hits a hard hit grounder to short, but Hyams makes the routine play to first base for the out. LeMahieu ropes a ground ball over the third base bag–May makes an excellent stops, but his throw to first is in the dirt which allows LeMahieu to reach safely. Tyler Hanover, after nearly getting beamed in the face on the first pitch, sends Walters’ second right back at him for a single into center field. LeMahieu only advances to second on the play. Nola sends a screamer over the first base bag, but Poythress shows off his range with a diving stop on the foul line–Poythress scoops to Walters covering first for the out. At the end of the inning, UGA 1, LSU 0.

Top 2nd, UGA 1, LSU 0: Freshman Colby May leads things off with a hard-hit shot to left…where Landry was standing. Landry makes the routine play for the out. Levi Hyams hits a grounder to deep short, but Nola makes a nice backhanded stop, and Schimpf finished with a scoop out of the dirt for the second out. Thoms strikes out swinging on a 3-2 count to send LSU to the bottom half of the inning. UGA 1, LSU 0.

Bottom 1st, UGA 1, LSU 0: Landry, who struck against UGA right fielder Lyle Allen in the first game, starts LSU with a swinging strikeout. Ryan Schimpf flies out to left field right near the foul one. Blake Dean, give the Tigers some life, when he hits his 14th double of the season. Micah Gibbs grounds out to shortstop for a 6-3 to end the inning. Georgia heads to the second still up 1.

Top 1st, UGA 0, LSU 0: Zach Cone starts the inning off with a double down the 3rd base line. That the first sign of UGA offense in a while. Matt Cerione draws a walk on the full count–men on 1st and 2nd. Poythress has a long at bat, but ends up flying out to right field–Cone tags to get to third. Cain walks the bases loaded–Massanari now on first. Allen skies one to left for the second out of the inning, but Cerione tags from 3rd to give Georgia their first run of the day, and the early lead. Joey Lewis, who was moved down a spot in the lineup for the second game, grounds into a 6-3 to end the inning. Georgia strands 3, but takes the lead. UGA 1, LSU 0.