LSU Defeats Long Beach State

BATON ROUGE, La. — Maybe there are more imposing places for visiting college baseball teams than Louisiana State, and maybe the Alex Box Stadium crowd really isn’t as intimidating as it seems.

But if the setting is the NCAA regional tournament, and you’re facing LSU with a College World Series appearance or summer vacation at stake, there is no tougher place. Long Beach State found out Sunday.

Stuck in the middle of the eye of the Tigers’ storm, Long Beach eventually wilted and lost to LSU, 14-7, in an NCAA South I Regional elimination game in front of a typically raucous sellout crowd of 5,949. Top-seeded LSU plays second-seeded South Alabama today for the regional title and a place in the College World Series at Omaha, Neb.

After winning the earlier elimination game Sunday, Long Beach (39-26) ran out of luck against a bunch of big hitters and their big, loud crowd. Top-seeded LSU (51-13), the visiting team in name only, scored seven runs in the top of the 11th inning to take control for good after squandering two previous leads against the regional’s fourth-seeded squad.

“It was a great college game,” Long Beach Coach Dave Snow said. “It was a battle. Both teams fought hard. They just proved to be a little bit stronger by putting together that big inning.”

LSU scored its first four runs in the 11th off of Ara Petrosian (4-3). Usually the 49ers’ closer, Petrosian, who has 15 saves, entered the game in relief of starter Marcus Jones in the fourth and did a good job until he got tired and lost his control. The Tigers’ Patrick Coogan (13-3) pitched four scoreless innings of relief to earn the victory.

Petrosian opened the 11th by giving up consecutive singles to Eddy Furniss and Mike Koerner. He then intentionally walked Trey McClure, who had hit his 12th home run in the third, to load the bases. Petrosian gave LSU an 8-7 lead when he walked Clint Earnhart, forcing home Furniss.

Iran Barrera relieved Petrosian and gave up a double to Wes Davis that drove in Koerner and McClure, giving LSU a 10-7 lead.

“I extended [Petrosian] and he’s been a great closer for us,” Snow said. “I asked more than he could actually give. His pitch count was way up, and they finally caught up to him.”

That Long Beach did what it did Sunday was impressive enough. Long Beach defeated North Carolina-Greensboro, 14-4, to get in another game before heading home.

LSU was also fighting through the losers’ bracket and its fans knew it, so they poured on the support. Moreover, the Tigers possess power the 49ers simply aren’t accustomed to facing. They have hit an NCAA-record 169 home runs, including at least one in 65 consecutive games dating to last season.

But Long Beach provided more problems for LSU than its fans thought possible. The stadium got quiet quickly when Long Beach scored four in the seventh to take a 7-6 lead.

LSU reliever Chris Demouy gave up three hits in the inning, including a three-run homer by Casey Martin, his ninth. However, Furniss put life back into the crowd in the eighth when he tied the score, 7-7, with a solo homer to left, his 16th and LSU’s third of the game.

Petrosian had worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth without surrendering a run, but he wasn’t as fortunate in the seventh. Tom Bernhardt hit a three-run homer to left, his 16th, that gave LSU a 6-3 lead. McClure’s homer in the third gave the Tigers a 3-0 lead.

Jones simply didn’t have his best stuff, or anything close to what he had in an impressive 1-0 tournament-opening victory over Oklahoma Thursday. He lasted only three innings, giving up five hits and three earned runs.

Junior right-hander Rocky Biddle (9-5) put Long Beach in position to face LSU. Earlier Sunday, Biddle pitched six strong innings as Long Beach defeated sixth-seeded North Carolina Greensboro.

Biddle, in one of his better recent performances, gave up five hits and one earned run in six innings. He gave up two walks and struck out 10.

Toby Sanchez, one for six in the regionals before Sunday, hit two of Long Beach’s three homers--his 12th and 13th--and went five for five with four runs scored and three RBIs against North Carolina Greensboro. Martin hit his eighth homer and drove in three runs, and Steve Doherty went four for five with three runs and two RBIs.