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Onto the super regional: LSU wins 'one for the ages' in heart-pounding finish over Oregon

The Advocate - 6/8/2021

Jun. 8—EUGENE, Ore. — Karen Mainieri shielded her eyes, and could you blame her? She sat behind LSU's dugout, her seat where for the last three days, she wondered if her husband would coach another baseball game. LSU had avoided elimination every time, and now she couldn't bear to watch as the team tried to survive.

There in the ninth inning Monday night, Oregon brought the tying run 90 feet from home plate. Landon Marceaux stood on the mound inside PK Park. Making his first relief appearance this season and on short rest, he needed one more out to send his team to an NCAA super regional. LSU clung to a one-run lead.

And then, the miraculous happened. Marceaux induced a fly ball that landed in Dylan Crews' glove, sealing a 9-8 win in the final game of the NCAA Eugene regional. Karen Mainieri hugged her son and her brother-in-law. Crews waved goodbye to the crowd. Paul Mainieri stood on the top step of the dugout and raised his arms as his assistant coaches wrapped him in a hug.

LSU's players sprinted onto the field, where they hugged and danced and jumped. On the verge of elimination all weekend, they had advanced to the next round of the NCAA tournament. The Tigers reached their 15th super regional, the second-most all-time behind Florida State. They will play Tennessee for a spot in the College World Series.

"One for the ages for us," Paul Mainieri said.

In all the chapters of a storied program with six national championships, a regional title paled in comparison, but few accomplished what this team did Monday night. LSU (38-23) lost the first game of a regional for the first time since 1985, pushing it into the loser's bracket. The Tigers teetered on the verge of elimination for three days.

But Giovanni DiGiacomo delivered a game-winning single Saturday afternoon, AJ Labas pitched eight innings in the first of two games Sunday, Javen Coleman shut down top-seeded Oregon later that night and then LSU won a tug-of-war in the deciding final game to win its first regional championship on the road since 1989.

"Everybody's been upbeat and high spirited," junior left fielder Gavin Dugas said. "Nobody's ever been down, not one bit."

Playing five games in four days drained LSU's pitching staff, forcing it to pull deep from its bullpen Monday night. Senior Ma'Khail Hilliard returned on one day of rest to throw a scoreless first inning. Then freshmen Ty Floyd and Michael Fowler handled the next three frames. Floyd had pitched one inning Friday. Fowler made his first postseason appearance. They fell behind in counts and allowed five combined runs, putting LSU into a 5-2 hole by the fourth inning.

LSU responded in the bottom of the frame as Dugas, the regional MVP, hit his second home run of the game and junior Drew Bianco scored on a wild pitch, closing the gap. After freshman Will Hellmers steadied the pitching staff, Bianco lifted a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth. He pointed toward LSU's dugout as he rounded first base. Chants of "L-S-U" filled the air. Mainieri's son, Tommy, stood and pointed back.

As LSU retook the lead, Marceaux warmed up in the bullpen. He had pleaded with Mainieri to appear again since LSU lost its regional opener, convinced the Tigers would reach this game. He wanted to return two days after throwing 101 pitches, something he had never done during his college career.

Mainieri debated whether or not to use him. He didn't want to harm his ace pitcher's long term health. Mainieri consulted with Marceaux's parents to get their approval.

"The competitor I am," Marceaux said, "I want the ball."

Marceaux entered after Oregon retook the lead, 7-6, on a home run in the top of the seventh. He ended the frame and held the score until a fateful bottom of the eighth.

The inning started when Dugas walked. Then sophomore Cade Doughty hit a ground ball that bounced high over the first baseman's head and rolled into the outfield. Dugas reached third base. Doughty stood on second and fired imaginary spider webs at his teammates.

"Sometimes in baseball," Mainieri said, "you just get fortuitous bounces."

After a strikeout, junior designated hitter Cade Beloso approached the plate. He hit another ground ball toward Oregon's first baseman, and Dugas sprinted down the third base line. He slid head first past the tag, tying the game.

With runners on the corners and one out, Mainieri signaled Jordan Thompson to safety squeeze. Oregon recognized it. After a first-pitch ball, Mainieri removed the sign, but as Oregon tried to prevent the bunt, closer Kolby Somers repeatedly threw over to first base. The Ducks also wanted to lull Doughty away from third.

"They were doing a really good job preventing us from putting a safety squeeze on," Mainieri said. "They were going to force us to swing the bat to drive in that run there."

And then Somers started another pickoff attempt, Oregon's first baseman moved away from the bag and the umpires called a balk because Somers couldn't throw to an unoccupied base. Doughty trotted home. LSU retook the lead. It added its final run on an RBI single by Thompson, the difference when Oregon nearly completed a comeback.

Marceaux returned for the ninth as senior closer Devin Fontenot threw in LSU's bullpen. Marceaux struck out the first batter he faced before allowing back-to-back singles. Mainieri called time. He walked to the mound. Fontenot stood pressed against the bullpen door, but he had pitched twice during the regional. Mainieri left the ball with Marceaux.

"I just couldn't take the ball from him," Mainieri said.

The junior right-hander coaxed a ground ball from the next batter, and though a run scored, LSU had the second out. Then Marceaux induced another slow ground ball, but Thompson couldn't reach it in time, putting another runner on third base. Five pitches later, the ball fell into Crews' glove.

"I might have gave a bazillion people heart attacks," Marceaux said, smiling, "but we got it done."

Some of LSU's players raised their arms as they ran onto the field. Others stopped to hug Marceaux, telling him, "Nobody else we wanted on the mound." The pitchers ran from the bullpen to join the celebration, and once it finally subsided, they formed a huddle around Mainieri, their coach who will have to delay his retirement at least one more week.

Dugas, LSU's savior much of the weekend, conducted a television interview. He had batted 6 for 8 with three home runs, two triples, six RBIs and six runs scored over the last two days. When he finished and walked toward his teammates, Bianco jumped into his arms.

After Mainieri ended the postgame meeting, his son jumped over the railing and hugged him. Then Mainieri walked through a gate to reach his wife. They hugged, she softly said "thank you" and Mainieri handed her the game ball.

"Don't say I never gave you nothing," Mainieri said, laughing.

Mainieri returned to the field and hugged Marceaux, who soon wrapped his arm over Dugas' shoulder. Dugas rubbed the pitcher's neck. They smiled. Then they walked together toward the parking lot, where the players' families and the LSU fans who traveled across the country waited, cheering.

On the other side of the gate, players posed for pictures and hugged their parents. A child with a Tiger mascot head asked for autographs. Mainieri took a picture with his family. And then, as the players headed toward their bus and the rest of the season, someone shouted, "Onto Knoxville."

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