Best baseball game I've seen in a loooong time. Virginia's starting pitcher was awesome for 6+ innings, and an 8th inning Virginia home run added insurance that I thought would seal the deal. The Hogs were one strike away from elimination before a single and an absolute moon shot tied the game in the top of the 9th.
The Hogs brought in their ace starter for a Randy Johnson-style, all-or-nothing bullpen appearance to pitch the 9th. He worked out of a bases loaded, 3-0 count in the 9th to get a double play ball and send it to extra innings.
In the 10th, he struck out two in a row with the winning run on third to get out of another jam.
In the 11th, he got a groundout to second with the winning run on third to end another bases loaded threat.
A single, a stolen base, and an RBI double put the Hogs on top in the 12th. Virginia led off the bottom of the 12th with a double and a stolen base. A strikeout with the winning run again on 3rd ended the game.
My hats off to the Virginia Cavaliers. They played a hell of a ball game. They probably should have won it in the 10th, but a Freshman who was on base for the first time since April, failed to advance to 3rd on a swinging bunt. Then he hesitated on a base hit up the middle and had to hold up at third. It could have been a Sid Bream-type play, but it turned out to be more along the lines of Lonnie Smith.
We get LSU again on Friday. With a depleted pitching staff, it might be ugly for the Hogs.
Last edited by Hillbilly; 06-18-2009 at 09:03 AM.
|
Linear Mode
