Games Notes & Quotes

HOOVER, Ala. -- No. 5 seed LSU closed out the first day of the 2016 SEC Baseball Tournament in dramatic fashion, rallying to a walk-off win against No. 12 seed Tennessee.

The Tigers overcame a 4-0 deficit and scored two runs in the ninth inning to secure a 5-4 victory and eliminate the Vols from the tournament. A solo home run by LSU's Greg Deichmann tied the game in the bottom of the ninth. Kramer Robertson delivered the game-winning hit, a single that brought Brennan Breaux across the plate.

"When I came up to bat there, I knew after Greg [Deichmann] had hit the home run, I was telling everybody that we wanted to win it this inning because they had some of their big bats coming up," said Robertson. "I really wanted to make sure we won it there in the bottom of the ninth. Credit all of those guys in front of me for winning their at-bats and getting it to me. All I had to do was put a ball in play out of the infield and was fortunate to do it."

Tennessee first pulled ahead in the top of the fourth inning when Jordan Rodgers hit a two-out single to bring Chris Hall home. Tennessee added to its lead on an RBI single by Max Bartlett in the fifth.

The Vols kept the Tigers off the board in the fifth with back-to-back plays at the plate to end the frame. LSU's Deichmann and Beau Jordan were tagged out at home by UT catcher Tyler Schultz on throws from Rodgers and Brodie Leftridge.

Tennessee extended its lead in the sixth on an RBI groundout by Vincent Jackson. Nick Senzel then scored on a wild pitch to increase the Vols' lead to 4-0.

LSU's bats came alive in the seventh, with Deichmann delivering an RBI double to end the shutout. The Tigers added another run on an RBI single by Cole Freeman. Robertson's bases-loaded two-out hit scored one run for the Tigers but Schultz made another tag at the plate to end the inning and keep LSU from tying the game.

Hunter Newman (1-0), the last of six pitchers used by LSU, earned the win after tossing perfect frames in the eighth and ninth.

"The real key was Hunter Newman's performance coming out of the pen," said LSU head coach Paul Mainieri. "He kept us right there after we got the three-spot and had the guy thrown out at the plate with a chance to tie the game. Hunter dominated his two innings and gave us a chance to rally there in the ninth inning."

The Tigers advance to double-elimination play and face No. 4 seed Florida in the fourth game of the day Wednesday on SEC Network. LSU improved to 75-39 all-time in the SEC Tournament, the most wins of any team in the history of the conference tournament.