Winning in a constant variety of ways – it was one of the goals Paul Mainieri spoke of on the day he was introduced as LSU’s new baseball coach three years ago this month.
“You have to be able to be competitive in any type of game,” Mainieri said.
And that goes double here at the College World Series.
Such was the case Saturday as LSU found itself in a very rare situation against Virginia at Rosenblatt Stadium before the Tigers (52-16) found a way to win 9-5 and advance to a 6 o’clock game tonight against Arkansas.
“That was kind of a different way for us to win a game from most of our wins during the year,” Mainieri said.
The strangest part was starting pitcher and ace 1A Anthony Ranaudo not being able to get through the fourth inning. His velocity was not there from the start of the game. He looked out of sorts. He had his hair cut. Before Saturday, Ranaudo’s shortest outing was five innings, but that was in the opening weekend against Villanova and he only left because he was still getting in pitching shape. Before Saturday, Ranaudo had gone seven innings or more in six of his previous seven starts and won five straight.
“I just didn’t have it,” Ranaudo said. “It happens.”
And there he was leaving the mound with LSU clinging to a 3-2 lead in the fourth with the bases loaded and one out after he had allowed a lead-off triple, an RBI single, a bunt single and a walk around a strikeout.
In came reliever Paul Bertuccini, who struck out Phil Gosselin, one of the Cavaliers’ best hitters and No. 2 on the team with 63 RBIs. Then Danny Hultzen, the third batter in the order and a .330 hitter, lined out to Ryan Schimpf in left field to end the inning.
Bertuccini, who never pitches very long and was perhaps not used to being in a game so early, ran into trouble almost immediately in the fifth. After one out, Steven Proscia led off with a solo home run to tie it 3-3. Three more singles put the Cavaliers up 4-3.
source : http://www.thenewsstar.com
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