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Feb. 14, 2000
BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU, voted college baseball’s Program of the1990s by Baseball America, got its 2000 campaign off to a rousing successby recording 8-0 and 13-2 victories over Virginia Saturday at Alex BoxStadium.
The Tigers (2-0, #6 ESPN/USA Today, #8 Baseball America andCollegiate Baseball) and Cavaliers (0-2) finish their three-game seriesSunday at 1:00 p.m. (CST).
In the opener, junior left-hander Brian Tallet hurled a three-hitshutout, becoming the first LSU pitcher to throw a complete-game shutout ina season opening game in Skip Bertmans 17 years as LSU coach.
The Bethany, Okla., native threw only 101 pitches, struck out sevenand allowed just two walks and three singles in becoming the first LSUleft-handed pitcher to throw a complete-game shutout since Mike Sirotkablanked Arkansas 3-0 on April 24, 1993 in Fayetteville.
The Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBIsingle by Brad Cresse that scored David Raymer, followed by a sacrifice flyfrom Brad Hawpe to plate Ryan Theriot.
LSU, which got an unearned run in the fifth on Tim LaVignesthrowing error with two outs, broke the game wide open with a five-runfifth, all with two outs. Hawpe got it started with a home run, then BlairBarbier walked and Cedrick Harris was hit by a pitch. Jeff Liparis RBIsingle scored Barbier, and after Jeremy Witten was hit by a pitch, Raymerlifted a fly ball into the sun in right that Ben Himes misplayed into athree-run double.
Virginia had its best threat in the fourth, when Ryan Kalamaya gotthe Cavs first hit of the game, stole second and went to thirdthe onlyCavalier runner to get that farwhen Cresses throw skipped past MikeFontenot into center field. But two batters later, Jon Benick groundedinto aninning-ending double play.
The Cavs had two runners on in the ninth, but once again Talletinduced Kalamaya to ground into the game-ending double play.
The second game was dominated by redshirt freshman Bo Pettit. TheHoustonian had little trouble in throwing six shutout innings, allowingjust two singles and striking out six to earn his first victory for LSU.
Fontenot got the Tigers on the board in the first with an RBIsingle to score Theriot, then got three in the fifth, two on Barbiers RBIsingle after Theriots sacrifice fly scored Witten with the first run of theframe. Catcher Ryan Jorgensen, making his first appearance fort he Tigers,blasted a solo home run into the left-center field bleachers in the fourthto make it 5-0.
Jorgensen also had a very good night behind the plate, picking offtwo runners and gunning down a third attempting to steal second.
As was the case in the first game, the Tigers broke it open with abig late-inning surge, this time getting seven in the seventh, with the keyhits being Cresses three-run homer and an RBI double by Fontenot.
The Cavs got their first run of the series on Robert Words sacrifice flyin the eighth.
FIRST GAME
UVA 000 000 000-- 0 3 1LSU 200 010 05x-- 8 7 1
Brandon Creswell, Chris Marinak (6), Andrew Starr (8) and Jon Benick, BrianTallet and Brad Cresse. WPTallet, 1-0. LPCresswell, 0-1. 2BLSU: Raymer(1), Witten (1). HRLSU: Hawpe (1). T2:19. A7,942 (paid).
SECOND GAME
UVA 000 000 011-- 2 4 3LSU 103 100 71x-- 13 9 2
John Metzger, Tommy Keiper (6), David Poppert (7) and Mark Rueffert, BoPettit, Ben Saxon (7), Shane Youman (9) and Ryan Jorgensen, Jamin Garidel(9). WPPettit, 1-0. LPMetzger, 0-1. 2BLSU: Fontenot (1). HRLSU:Cresse (1), Jorgensen (1). T2:43. A7,681 (paid).