College World Series : LSU Gets to Abbott, Eliminates CS Long Beach

A day that began with so much happiness ended on a bitter note for Cal State Long Beach pitching ace Kyle Abbott.

Tookie Johnson’s three-run double in a six-run third inning powered Lousiana State to an 8-5 victory over Long Beach in a College World Series elimination game Monday night.

Abbott (15-3) lasted only 2 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs, all but one earned. He allowed three hits and walked five while striking out one.

A few hours earlier, Abbott had been the ninth player selected in the major league amateur player draft, taken in the first round by the Angels.

“Draft day affected me,” Abbott said. “I felt loose but I couldn’t get the ball down. I was a little under-intense.”

LSU Coach Skip Bertman said: “It’s unfair the draft is on the same day the kid is going to pitch. It’s tough. Getting Abbott out of the game was a key. Any time you get a No. 1 draft choice out of the game it’s got to help.”

Long Beach Coach Dave Snow said: “The six-run inning was our downfall. Kyle was under a lot of pressure with the draft and all. He was a little bit wild. We had expectations to play quality baseball.”

The loss sent Long Beach home with a 50-15 record after two CWS defeats. The 49ers were making the school’s first trip to the NCAA baseball championship after a 14-45 season a year ago.

LSU (54-16) advances to tonight’s elimination game against the loser of the Texas-Miami game, which was played later Monday night.

The Tigers jumped to an 8-0 lead after three innings, taking advantage of Abbott’s control problems.

Mike Bianco walked and Phil Espinosa reached first on catcher interference to open the second. Both moved up when catcher Perry Sanchez’s pickoff throw to second went into center and they scored on Scott Schneidewind’s one-out double to right-center.

In the third, Keith Osik led off the LSU inning with a walk, went to third on Craig Cala’s one-out single and scored on a Bianco single. Espinosa and Matt Gruver walked to force in one run and Abbott left for reliever Robby Corsaro.

Corsaro struck out Schneidewind, then walked Pete Bush for another run before Johnson doubled to left to score three more for an 8-0 advantage.

The 49ers came back with two runs each in the fourth and sixth.

Todd Guggiana and Don Barbara opened with doubles in the fourth and scored on Dan Berthel’s double to left.

Guggiana singled to start the sixth and went to second on a wild pitch. After Berthel walked, Perry Sanchez flew out deep to center, allowing Guggiana to move to third. He scored on Deryk Hudson’s single. Todd Lloyd then doubled to score Berthel to cut the LSU lead to 8-4.

Berthel added his second home run of the year, a 400-foot shot to left-center, with one out in the eighth inning to finish LSU starter Curtis Leskanic (15-2).

Paul Byrd came on in relief to pick up his first save on the year, retiring the final four 49ers he faced.

“I was emotionally drained by the fifth inning,” said Leskanic, whose win set a school record for most victories in a season. “I was really tired.”

Said Bertman: “On a wholesale basis, Curtis did a great job. Everybody’s got to contribute in order for you to win. I was disappointed we were shut down from the third inning on.”

Long Beach’s Corsaro and Thomas Urbani allowed only two hits after the third. But the three 49er throwers gave up nine walks--five by Abbott, three by Corsaro and one by Urbani--and five of those runners scored.