June 3, 2005
Box Score
BATON ROUGE, La.-LSU got three RBI apiece from designated hitter Jordan Mayer and second baseman Clay Harris to rally the host Tigers to a 14-5 victory over the Marist baseball team on the first day of competition at the NCAA Regional in Baton Rouge, La. LSU improved to 39-20 with the win, while Marist dropped to 33-20. LSU advanced to the winner's bracket and will face the winner of Friday's second game between second-seeded Rice and third-seeded Northwestern State on Saturday at 6 p.m. CST. Marist dropped to the loser's bracket and will face the loser of Friday's second game at 1 p.m. CST on Saturday.
Right fielder Kevin Grauer led Marist with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate with a pair of RBI. Left fielder Thomas Ciccarone also plated two runs with a 2-for-4 effort.
LSU reliever Justin Determann (5-0) picked up the win, tossing just one-third of an inning. Marist reliever Scott Chambers suffered his sixth loss of the season (3-6), giving up three runs on three hits in one-third of an inning.
The Red Foxes came out the gate firing on all cylinders in the top of the first with four runs on four hits off LSU starter Justin Meier. Ciccarone put the Red Foxes up 2-0 when he laced an two-RBI single to left field with the bases loaded, scoring center fielder Travis Musolf and shortstop Andy Kiriakedes on the play. Kiriakedes came home when left fielder Quinn Stewart could not pick up Ciccarone's ground ball. Grauer plated two more Marist runs when his line drive to left fell just out of the reach of Stewart, sending designated hitter Kevin Buck and Ciccarone home to make the score 4-0 Marist.
LSU fought right back in the bottom half of the inning with two runs on two hits. Mayer knocked in the Tigers' first run on an RBI-groundout, while Stewart looped a bloop double to center to score the second run.
The Tigers sliced the Marist advantage to one run in the bottom of the third with a run on two hits. Right fielder Nick Stavinoha was awarded home plate after Kiriakedes' throw to first on Stewart's ground ball sailed into the Red Foxes' dugout.
The Red Foxes extended their advantage in the top of the fourth with another run, this one coming on an RBI-single to left by Musolf, scoring Grauer. Grauer reached earlier in the inning on a bunt single and promptly stole second.
LSU tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run homer by designated hitter Jordan Mayer that landed far over the bleachers in left field. The shot was Mayer's fourth home run of the season and chased Marist starter Chris Tracz from the game.
The Tigers blew the game open in the bottom half of the sixth inning with six runs to make the score 11-5 LSU. Stavinoha and Stewart led off the inning with back-to-back homers off Chambers to give the Tigers their first lead of the game. Shortstop Michael Hollander doubled in another run with a shot to right center. Clay Harris delivered the big hit of the inning with a three-run double down the right field line, scoring third baseman Chris Jackson, Mayer and center fielder Ryan Patterson.
LSU catcher Matt Liuzza slammed a two-run homer and Jackson laced an RBI-single to center in the eighth for the final margin.
Tracz lasted 5.2 innings and gave up two earned runs on 10 hits to go with two strikeouts and two walks. Meier went four innings and gave up seven hits and four earned runs to go with three strikeouts and one walk.
Marist first baseman Keith Brachold singled up the middle in the seventh to move into a tie for second on Marist's all-time hits list with Ryan Brady (262, 1998-2001). Anthony Bocchino (1999-2002) is the Red Foxes' all-time leading hitter with 334.
Kiriakedes also singled in the top of the first to extend his hitting streak to 14 games.
