HOOVER, Ala. - LSU’s offense did all its damage early, then let Cody Glenn handle the rest.
Glenn pitched seven scoreless innings Wednesday afternoon as LSU beat Alabama 3-0 in the second round of the SEC Tournament at Metropolitan Stadium.
Glenn (7-2) scattered five hits, struck out two and didn’t give up a walk as the Tigers, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, advanced to play third-seeded Arkansas at 4:30 p.m. today. Nick Rumbelow and Chris Cotton each worked a scoreless inning of relief to complete the shutout.
Cotton earned his 13th save of the season.
“[Glenn] really answered the call and pitched a tremendous ballgame for us,” LSU Coach Paul Mainieri said. “Hewas as sharp as I have ever seen him with all three of his pitches. We played good defense. We had a big first inning. In the end, our pitching and defense carried the day for us.
“It was a good win for us and a good way to start the SEC Tournament.”
LSU (49-8) scored the only three runs in the game in the first inning.
Sean McMullen opened the game with a single to left field and advanced to third on a throwing error. Mark Laird grounded out on the next at-bat to score Mullen, and Alex Bregman followed with a double down the left field line.
Bregman scored on a ground out by Raph Rhymes and Mason Katz, who reached base on a walk, scored on a single by Christian Ibarra to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead.
Bregman, a freshman shortstop, went 3 for 4 to lead LSU’s offense.
“This kid is an amazing player,” Mainieri said. “Some guys just love the game and their instincts just ooze out. This kid is a great defender at shortstop and an outstanding hitter.”
Alabama (33-25), the No. 8 seed, managed just six hits, all singles.
Charley Sullivan (5-6) pitched a complete game but took the loss, giving up 3 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks.
Alabama dropped into the losers’ bracket and will face Ole Miss today in an elimination game at 9:30 a.m.
TEXAS A&M 5, VANDERBILT 0
Parker Ray pitched eight-plus innings to lead Texas A&M to a victory over top-seeded Vanderbilt in the second round.
The Aggies (32-25) hit three home runs, and Ray made sure it was plenty in the double-elimination tournament.
Making his fifth start of the season, Ray (1-1) allowed 3 hits and walked 3 while throwing 110 pitches. He left after walking the lead off batter in the ninth.
“There is not much to say. It’s 5-0,” Vanderbilt Coach Tim Corbin said. “Parker Ray did a nice job. He went through our lineup pretty easily and limited our opportunities. There’s isn’t much to say other than to give him credit.”
Vanderbilt (48-8), which had lost only three SEC games, didn’t manage an extra-base hit and was shut out for the first time this season. The Commodores came into the tournament leading the league in hitting.
Cole Langford, Hunter Melton and Troy Stein homered for Texas A&M, while Daniel Mengden had three hits and Krey Bratsen added two.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 5, SOUTH CAROLINA 3
Wes Rea hit a one-out single to score the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning and Demarcus Henderson singled in another run a batter later for his third RBI of the game as the Gamecocks advanced to a winner’s bracket contest tonight against Texas A&M.
The Gamecocks had tied the score 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth inning on a two-run single by Brison Celek and a bases-loaded walk to Max Schrock after falling behind 3-0 after three innings.
Rea and Henderson both had two-out RBI singles in the top of the first inning to put the Bulldogs up 2-0.
Henderson added a sacrifice fly in the top of the third for a 3-0 Mississippi State advantage.
Myles Gentry got the victory for the Bulldogs, allowing three hits, while striking out 8 in 5 2/3 innings in relief of Luis Pollorena.
Sports, Pages 23 on 05/23/2013