Magnolia Tribune
This article was produced by Magnolia Tribune staff.
Dubois: Bullpen a big relief for Tigers
http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/lsu/19447999.html
There is always work to be done. LSU won its regional with an 11-4 victory Sunday night against Southern Miss, and LSU pitching coach Terry Rooney had another job on his hands.
His wife wanted photos of her with Paul Mainieri’s wife and the girlfriend of assistant coach Javi Sanchez. He obliged. Click. Click.
“My duty,” Rooney said. “Honey-do list.”
The camera was soon replaced in his hands by sheets of paper representing the labor of his pitchers during the regional, including the starting point of his agenda for the week.
“Our relief pitching for the last few weeks has been very good,” Rooney said after watching Paul Bertuccini slam the door and Jared Bradford put a chair against it. “I thought this weekend our starting pitching was average.”
Ryan Verdugo and Blake Martin did their jobs, giving the Tigers a chance to win, but they’ll need better command in the super regional against UC Irvine.
The Advocate.com
6/2/08
LSU Advances to Super Regional
http://www.kmsstv.com/sports/19448499.html
The crowd crammed into old Alex Box Stadium rose to its feet in anticipation, chanting, "L-S-U!" as sweet-swinging Blake Dean stepped into the batter's box with the bases loaded.
"I got the chills, goose bumps, whatever you want to call it," said LSU third baseman Michael Hollander, who was on second base. "There was no doubt in my mind Blake was going to get the big hit. ... I know the pressure was on, but he's come through so many times."
The Tigers' leading hitter gave the purple-and-gold clad fans the moment of rapture they sensed was imminent, clobbering an 0-2 pitch on one bounce to the right-center field wall for a bases-clearing triple, which Dean celebrated by pumping both fists as he came up from his slide at third.
Dean's crushing blow and Leon Landry's early two-run homer highlighted yet another impressive triumph for the sizzling Tigers, who beat Southern Mississippi 11-4 Sunday night to wrap up the Baton Rouge regional and extend their winning streak to 23 games.
KMSS-TV.com
6/2/08
