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SEC Tournament: LSU storms back to down South Carolina, advance to semis

Derek Peterson

By Derek Peterson

Published:

In a game that featured 21 combined runs and 25 combined hits, 11-seed LSU scored twice in each of the final 2 innings to come back and beat 10-seed South Carolina at the SEC Tournament.

With the win, the Tigers (39-21) advance to the semifinals on Saturday — their eighth appearance since 2013. The Gamecocks (35-22) need to regroup before taking on 3-seed Kentucky on Friday afternoon.

After 3 innings, LSU trailed 5-1. South Carolina’s Cole Messina continued what has been an absolute heater at the SEC Tournament, blasting a grand slam in the bottom of the third. But the lead was short-lived. LSU scored 4 in the top of the fourth to tie the game right back.

The Tigers scored in the fifth and scored again in the sixth, but Messina was key again in a 4-run spot in the bottom of the sixth for South Carolina, hitting a 2-RBI single and then stealing second. Parker Noland brought Messina and Blake Jackson home on the next at-bat.

After a scoreless seventh, LSU plated 2 in the top of the eighth to draw within a single run of the Gamecocks.

Fidel Ulloa entered the game in the bottom of the eighth for LSU with 1 out on the board. He walked the first batter he faced, then he walked the second batter he faced, bringing Messina to the plate with 2 on and 1 away.

When Messina singled in the sixth, he brought his RBI tally for the week to 14 — an SEC Tournament record. Before he stepped into the box to face Ulloa, he was sitting at 8-for-11 in 3 games with 4 home runs. If South Carolina was going to put the game out of reach, Messina was going to be the one to do it.

Ulloa opened with a ball. Then he locked in and sat Messina down looking for the second out of the inning. Four pitches later, Noland was striking out swinging to strand 2 on base.

In the ninth, Alex Milazzo blasted a shot deep to the left-field wall. It didn’t quite make it out of the park, but it was enough to score a tying run and advance the game-winning run to third. Michael Braswell III — a transfer from South Carolina in the offseason — took a 2-2 pitch on the next at-bat down the left-field line to push the Tigers ahead on the scoreboard.

Tommy White flied out to center field to end the inning. South Carolina’s Austin Brinling robbed him at the wall; anywhere else and Tommy Tanks would have added some insurance to the lead.

But LSU didn’t need it. Ulloa got a pop-up for the first and second outs in the bottom of the ninth. Gavin Casas flied out to end the game and send LSU to the semis.

Ulloa picked up the win, his second of the season, after 1.2 innings pitched with 2 strikeouts and just 1 hit allowed. LSU used 5 pitchers in total, striking out 12 South Carolina batters and walking 6. Chris Veach was saddled with the loss for the Gamecocks, responsible for 2 earned in 1.1 innings.

Steven Milam went 4-for-5 for LSU with 2 RBI and a run scored. Jake Brown went 3-for-5 with 2 RBI and a homer.

Per the SEC Network broadcast, the defeat for South Carolina marked the first time all season the Gamecocks lost a game after leading through 8 innings. If they’re able to beat Kentucky on Friday, South Carolina will get another crack at LSU on Saturday.

The first semifinal game is set for 1 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

Related: Want to bet on LSU during the postseason? Head over to BetMGM to get started with $1,500 in bonus bets!

Derek Peterson

Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.

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