Here we recap every game from day three of the 2017 SEC Baseball Tournament and see how those games affect the NCAA Tournament.
After a couple of rainy days to start the tournament, we were treated to beautiful weather on Thursday. The action on the field wasn’t always as pretty as the weather, but there was still some great baseball being played on day three.
Not to mention we saw our first ever no-hitter in the SEC Baseball Tournament, and in the same game a player hit three home runs.
Game 8: Mississippi State – 4 Arkansas – 3
The first game of the day was by far the best game of the day as Mississippi State came from behind to score four runs in the final two innings to win 4-3 over Arkansas. The Razorbacks couldn’t hold onto a 3-0 lead after a well pitched game by Trevor Stephan. Brent Rooker drove in the tying run in the top of the ninth, and then later scored the go-ahead run. Mississippi State will move on to play Florida on Friday, while Arkansas turned around and played Auburn Thursday afternoon.
Game 9: South Carolina – 10 Missouri – 2
In a game with huge implications towards the NCAA Tournament, the Gamecocks prevailed 10-2 thanks to 2 home runs and 6 RBI by Carlos Cortes. South Carolina starting pitcher Will Crowe gave up just 1 run on 4 hits over 6 innings with 9 strikeouts. Alex Destino and Jonah Bride also homered for the Gamecocks in this one. Missouri’s season comes to an end, while South Carolina continues to try and make a late push fro the NCAA Tournament.
Game 10: Arkansas – 12 Auburn – 0 (7)
The story of day three came in a 12-0 blowout win for Arkansas over Auburn in game 10. Three Razorback pitchers combined to throw a 7-inning no-hitter against the Tigers. Dominic Taccolini, Matt Cronin and Josh Alberius combined to throw the first no-hitter in SEC Baseball Tournament history. However, they did walk seven batters. Chad Spanberger somehow got overshadowed even though he hit a home run in three straight at-bats. He finished the game going 3-4 with 2 walks, 3 runs scored and 7 RBI. It was a horrible night for Auburn who will turn their attention to regionals next weekend. Arkansas stays alive in the 2017 SEC Baseball Tournament and will face the loser of Florida and Mississippi State on Friday.
Game 11: Kentucky – 0 LSU – 10
In what was supposed to be a pitchers’ duel, we saw a one-sided affair in the nightcap on Thursday as LSU scored five runs in the third and fifth innings to take a commanding 10-0 lead. The Kentucky defense did Sean Hjelle no favors as they made two errors and failed to make several plays that could have been made. Regardless, the LSU hitters tore the cover off the baseball. Kramer Robertson drove in four runs himself, including a 3-run home run. Everybody in the LSU starting lineup had a hit. Meanwhile, Alex Lange was lights out on the mound tossing a complete game 7-inning shutout striking out seven and just allowing 6 hits with no walks. Kentucky’s shot at a national seed are dwindling, but they have a chance to lick their wounds against South Carolina on Friday. LSU moves on to the semi-final game on Saturday where they will face the winner of South Carolina and Kentucky.
NCAA Tournament Picture: Things became a lot clearer for a few SEC teams on Thursday. Missouri is officially out of the NCAA Tournament picture with it’s loss, while South Carolina appears to be on the good side of the bubble. Auburn officially has no shot at hosting and awaits to see where their regional will be. LSU looks like a lock to host a regional and be a national seed at this point. While Mississippi State and Arkansas still have some work to do to become regional hosts.
Day 3 Notes: You couldn’t have asked for better weather on day three, but only one game was close. We saw three blowouts on day three as teams who played on Tuesday started running out of pitching. What Carlos Cortes and Chad Spanberger did today were mighty impressive. The two combined for 5 home runs and 13 RBI. We saw great pitching performances on Thursday from Will Crowe and Alex Lange. The LSU faithful were in full force on Thursday night, making this a true home game for LSU, per usual. Despite the lopsided games, there was still a lot of excitement on day three. And oh yeah, there was a no-hitter.
Day 4 Preview: The heavy rains on Tuesday continue to shakeup the 2017 SEC Baseball Tournament as game 12 between Florida and Mississippi State will now be played on Friday morning. That means the loser of that game will have to play a double-header, and the winner won’t get Friday off as is typical for the winner of game 12. Still, the Gators should be well rested and full of bullets in their pitching staff for Mississippi State who will be playing their third game of the tournament. Arkansas awaits the loser of that game in what will be the nightcap on Friday. In between those two games South Carolina will look to get a resume boosting win against Kentucky.
