The LSU Tigers won their sixth national baseball title Wednesday by defeating the Texas Longhorns in a decisive Game 3 College World Series contest. LSU’s decorated 11-4 victory is the first national championship for coach Paul Mainieri, a former Tiger player. The wining athletic tradition of the school continues with another trophy to close in the college case. Starter, Anthony Ranaudo was not spectacular but got the win for the champions. He allowed four runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. Ranaudo issued five Texas walks for the pre-seasons number one ranked Tigers.
The Longhorns forced a third game Tuesday when Taylor Jungmann heroically held LSU to five hits and Texas topped the Tigers 5-1. Texas’ task last night was to take down the Tigers for the second consecutive game, a feat not accomplished by any other team this season. Jared Mitchell helped LSU build a 3-0 lead with a three-run blast in the first inning of Texas starter, Cole Green. The robust Ryan Schimpf clocked an RBI single the next inning to increase the lead to four. The Longhorns pulled even but would not score any more runs in this battle. The LSU bullpen had an outstanding stint in shutting down the Longhorn offense, while Brandon Workman suffered the loss for a breakable Texas squad. Ranaudo loaded the bases in the first and third innings. He escaped the jam the first time around but was unable to keep the Texas tallies off the board during his outing. Ranaudo walked in a run during the third and allowed another runner to get into scoring position on a double steal. The runner reached home safely on what could have been a double play to end the third. In the fifth inning, Ranaudo allowed Texas to tie the game on a two run tater by Kevin Keyes.
Mikie Mahtook hit a tie-breaking double off Workman to ignite the LSU offense in the sixth. The mistake-prone Longhorns would not get through the frame without a wild pitch, and error, a passed ball, two hit batters and two walks. LSU capitalized on the miscues and the offense came alive following Mitchell’s walk and Mahtook’s double to right center field. After a misplayed bunt, LSU again had runners at the corners and a one-run lead. A sacrifice fly scored Mahtook, and the Tigers tacked on more runs from there. The Longhorns summoned their ace southpaw, closer Austin Wood, from the bullpen. Texas would use six pitchers to try to tame the Tigers in Game 3.
Wood missed his spots and could not control his pitches on the mound. He loaded the bases when a pitch got away from him and sailed straight into Schimpf standing in the batter’s box. Then, he hit Blake Dean to give the Tigers their third run of the sixth inning. Sean Ochinko stepped to the plate to plant a two-run single off the struggling Texas hurler. Sean’s stroke off the strike knocked in two more LSU runs for a secure 9-4 lead. Ochinko was 4 for 5 with 3 RBIs Wednesday night. The Tigers bashed and batted around in the big inning, ending it with the man who began the snappy surge, Mitchell. The talented slugger lined out to finish the frame.
Augie Garrido’s Longhorns were not in celebratory mood when Chad Jones successfully relieved Ranaudo to end the bottom of the sixth. Texas’ chances of coming from behind for a dramatic win were slim. The BCS football title-winning tosser struck out the two lefty batters he faced with a monstrous slider. Jones pounded the zone to force the Longhorns hitters to stumble and be puzzled plate players. The pitcher pursued the seventh inning with more of the same, allowing a single Longhorn to reach base on his way to completing three outs. LSU put up a one-run eighth and one-run ninth inning for their final two plate crossing. Ochinko’s majestic long ball in the ninth was the icing on the cake for the champion Tigers. Louis Coleman pitched the final frames for LSU, on just one day’s rest. He also won a championship with LSU as a safety for the football team in 2007. Coleman fanned the side in the ninth, ending the game at Rosenblatt Stadium by sitting Connor Rowe down on three blazing called strikes.
Mitchell was voted the College World Series’ Most Outstanding Player, and he really did shine in Omaha this month. Mitchell was a wide receiver for the 2007 Tiger football team that won the BCS title. The Chicago White Sox drafted him in the first round earlier this month. Last night, his LSU team had an answer to everything Texas offered and throughout the playoffs, were unstoppable. The entire roster had integral roles on the Tigers march to the College World Series. LSU captured a well-deserved sixth championship with an omnipotent offense of physical power and a no-nonsense devastating defense.
Parting points: I am happy for Francisco Cervelli for clubbing his first homerun last night for the Yankees.
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