Vanderbilt Wins Second Straight From No. 7 LSU, 5-4 in 10 Innings

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Cesar Nicolas laced a 10th-inning walk-off single to left field, scoring Ryan Klosterman to give Vanderbilt a 5-4 victory over No. 7 LSU, Saturday, April 19, at Hawkins Field. The win, Vanderbilt's fourth in a row against the Tigers, assures the Commodores of the series win. The three game set with LSU concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.

The victory, in front of a record sellout crowd of 1,647, was Vanderbilt's sixth over a ranked league opponent in its last eight games. The Commodores' record improves to 19-18 overall and 8-9 in the Southeastern Conference. LSU slips to 25-13-1 overall and 11-5-1 against league foes.

The Commodores will enter action Sunday a game behind South Carolina in the SEC Eastern Division standings. The Gamecocks won a pair of games over Mississippi State (4-3 and 2-1) Saturday to pick up a half game on Vanderbilt.

Matt Buschmann (4-1) pitched four solid innings in relief, earning his team-best fourth win. He retired 10 of the 13 batters he faced, allowing only two hits and a walk.

With the score knotted at 4-4, Jonathan Douillard coaxed a lead off walk off LSU reliever Jake Tompkins (1-4) to start the 10th inning. On the following play, Zach Simpson advanced Douillard to second base with a sacrifice bunt. Klosterman forced a one out walk to put runners on first and second. After Gil Kim replaced Douillard as a pinch runner, he was retired at third base on Matt Zeller's fielder's choice ground ball to second base.

With Klosterman at second base and Zeller at first, Nicolas sent a 1-1 pitch sharply into left field that easily scored Klosterman for the game-winning run.

Nicolas posted a 3-for-4 performance at the plate for the Commodores, including a solo home run off LSU starter Bo Pettit in the first inning that sparked a four-run frame. After Nicolas hit his team-best fifth home run of the year, Warner Jones singled to right center and John Kaye walked. Tony Mansolino, who went 3-for-4 in the game, then followed with his second home run of the year, a three-run blast to left center field.

Despite walking five batters in the first four innings, Vanderbilt starter Robert Ransom pitched out of early trouble and took a no hitter into the fifth frame before LSU's Ryan Patterson hit a one-out double off the wall in center field. Ransom ended the day, allowing four hits, four runs (three earned), five walks and five strikeouts but did not factor in the decision.

Pettit settled down for LSU and scattered only four hits and faced only three batters over the minimum during the next eight innings.

LSU began its comeback in the sixth inning, scoring one unearned run. Bruce Sprowl led off the frame with a fly ball to the outfield that hit off the glove of Zeller in center fielder. Sprowl scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Aaron Hill. The Tigers tied the game in the seventh with three runs thanks in part to four straight hits and a Commodore fielding error. Blake Gill and Clay Harris reached on back-to-back singles. Patterson then brought in Gill with a single to left field that moved Harris to second base. VU's Buschmann then entered the game for Ransom.

LSU's Jon Zeringue followed with another single to left field. However, the ball rolled under Jones' glove, allowing Harris to score easily, making the score 4-3. Zeringue tried to advance to second base on the play, but was thrown out by Jones. With two outs, Sprowl tied the game at 4-4 when he singled to left field to bring in Patterson.

The series finale will be televised by Jumbo Sports Network for viewers in Louisiana. The contest will also appear on Comcast Sports Southeast on a delayed basis Sunday evening.