Blake Dean's 3 RBIs lifted LSU to a 6-2 victory over Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament Championship. (ESPN Photo)
After losing their first game of the tournament, LSU battled back to reach the championship game of the SEC Tournament. The Tigers were seeking a conference tournament championship to go along with their regular season co-championship. Vanderbilt was a perfect 3-0 in the SEC Tournament heading into the championship game. Here is your SEC Tournament Championship recap for Sunday, May 24.
#2 LSU 6, Vanderbilt 2
HOOVER, Ala. — Blake Dean‘s three RBI and a solid pitching performance by senior left-hander Ryan Byrd led No.2 LSU to a 6-2 victory over Vanderbilt to capture the 2009 SEC tournament championship Sunday afternoon at Regions Park.
The Tigers (46-16) won their second-consecutive SEC tournament title — and their conference-best eighth overall — becoming the first team to win back-to-back conference tournament crowns since Alabama won in 2002 and 2003. LSU won five straight games in the tournament after dropping the opening round game to Vanderbilt, 4-1, on Wednesday.
“I’m so proud of this team,” LSU coach Paul Mainieri said. “I told them after the loss to Vanderbilt the first time around that it’s impossible to win every game in one day. I told them to take it a game at a time and to give a great effort every time and they responded like a championship team should.”
The NCAA announced Sunday that LSU would serve as one of the 16 host sites for an NCAA Regional, which will begin Friday. Florida and Ole Miss are the two other SEC schools that will host.
