"Your starting pitcher's got to get out of the first inning,"
-Arizona State Sun Devil Baseball Head Coach Pat Murphy About his stategy, after leaving the same pitcher in for four consecutive home runs on Sunday.
"This is the best baseball environment, the best fans, the best baseball environment that I've been part of, and that's why I like coming back here,"..."The fans are smart. They're knowledgeable. They get it. It's really fun."
-Murphy on the fans at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge
=================================================================== LSU Sweeps Unusual Weekend Series
By CARL DUBOIS cdubois@theadvocate.com Advocate sportswriter
Four consecutive LSU batters hit homers in the fourth inning -- starting with a grand slam -- but that wasn't even the craziest thing about this baseball afternoon at the Box.
On the same day Arizona State scored its most runs ever in an inning, the Sun Devils gave up the second-highest number of runs they've ever allowed in an inning.
The former, a 15-run Arizona State ninth inning, came in a 30-13 win over Western Illinois. The latter, a 12-run LSU fourth inning, came in a 20-3 loss to the Tigers.
Welcome to Sunday afternoon at Alex Box Stadium with the wind blowing straight out.
Arizona State coach Pat Murphy said a lot of his team's offense in the first game was wind-aided. He attributed LSU's outburst to the Tigers, not to the 20-plus mph gusts.
"They hit the ball right on the nose," Murphy said. "They hit the ball hard on the nose, and they deserve the credit."
Because this was no ordinary weekend, it required an extraordinary finish. LSU (14-4) wrapped up an unusual sweep -- two victories over Arizona State, one over Western Illinois -- with its biggest offensive explosion of the season.
It wasn't the biggest of the day at the Box. Arizona State (13-12) and Western Illinois (4-13) combined for 21 runs in the ninth inning alone. The Sun Devils' 15 runs marked their best inning ever and helped them rewrite sections of their record book.
Arizona State walked off with its most hits (35), total bases (57), hits in an inning (16) -- and its fourth-highest run total in a game. Then it was LSU's turn.
Ryan Patterson, who homered twice for the second day in a row, gave LSU a 3-2 lead with a first-inning three-run homer. The Tigers wouldn't trail again.
Blake Gill hit a grand slam in the fourth, followed by consecutive solo home runs by Patterson, Clay Harris and Nick Stavinoha. LSU led 16-2 after the 12-run inning ended.
"I really have never seen anything like it," Patterson said. "Maybe in a video game or something you hit four home runs in a row, but I've never seen that before. That was unbelievable."
LSU matched a season-high hit total in scoring a season-high run total. The Tigers beat Nicholls State 19-2 on 20 hits Feb. 12 but hit only one homer. On Sunday they hit six. Matt Liuzza added a two-run shot in the sixth.
"It's a good feeling to come out and do this again," said Gill, whose grand slam was LSU's first since Will Harris hit one against Southeastern Louisiana on March 12, 2004.
"We know we can hit. We actually had a good week of practice, and I think it carried over this weekend a little bit. Hitting's contagious, and I think once we started something, it went through the team and everybody felt it, and it carried on."
LSU starting pitcher Greg Smith (4-1) pitched seven innings, holding Arizona State to three runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out two.
Jason Determann retired all six batters he faced in relief.
Arizona State starter Pat Bresnehan (1-2) retired one batter before leaving with a 4-2 deficit in the bottom of the first inning. He gave up four hits and three walks.
"Your starting pitcher's got to get out of the first inning," Murphy said.
Arizona State relief pitching took a jolt too. Jason Urquidez, the Sun Devils' closer, was one out away from a streak of 17 consecutive scoreless innings when he gave up back-to-back-to-back-to-back LSU home runs.
"He's been unbelievable for us," Murphy said. "He hadn't been touched. We had to bring him in in the first inning. That's ridiculous, but we had used up our pitching. You get short-handed when you play four games and bring nine pitchers."
Tony Barnette, who replaced Urquidez in the fourth, threw 60 pitches in the game after throwing 46 as Arizona State's starter in the first game Sunday.
Murphy said he was glad to participate in the three-team weekend series.
"This is the best baseball environment, the best fans, the best baseball environment that I've been part of, and that's why I like coming back here," Murphy said "The fans are smart. They're knowledgeable. They get it. It's really fun."
