2012 SEC Baseball Tournament: LSU Falls To Mississippi State 4-3 In 10 Innings, Eliminated From Tournament

Top-seeded LSU Tigers fell to the No. 7 seeded Mississippi St. Bulldogs 4-3 in 10 innings. With the loss, LSU has now been eliminated from the SEC tournament and now await what region they will be in for the NCAA tournament.

LSU would get out to a 3-0 lead after two innings but that is all the scoring they would have on the day. Mississippi State was the opposite as they did not get on the board until the eighth and ninth innings where they also scored three runs which sent the game into extra innings.

Mississippi State was able to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth when Luis Pollorena went to the plate for the first time on the night, and he hit a sacrifice fly which scored Brent Brownlee and tied the game at three.

In the bottom of the 10th with the game still tied at four up to the plate for Mississippi Statewas a struggling Matthew Britton who single to right field and knocked in the winning run to defeat LSU.

Head over to And the Valley Shook for everything on LSU. For more coverage of the SEC baseball tournament, stay tuned to the SB Nation Houston storystream and Team Speed Kills.

2012 SEC Baseball Tournament Day 4 Preview: What To Watch From Hoover

LSU (#1, 1-1) vs Mississippi State (#7, 2-1) 3:00 (CSS)

• LSU's Raph Rhymes notched his 95th hit of the season in LSU's 11-2 win over Ole Miss as he improved his nation-leading batting average to .468.
• Yesterday's 5-1 loss to Kentucky was only the third time this season the Bulldogs have been held to four hits or less in a game.
  

South Carolina (#2, 1-1) vs Florida (#3, 1-1) Gametime 30 min after conclusion of LSU-MSU (CSS)

• Florida left 10 runners on base in their 2-1 loss to Vandy on Thursday
• Gamecock Joey Pankake hit his team-leading 14th double against Auburn yesterday. South Carolina lost the series 2-1 against Florida in the second week of SEC play. Joey Pancake has to be a name in a terrible mafia movie somewhere.

Note: Only two games today, as Vanderbilt and Kentucky have a bye until Saturday since they are undefeated in the tournament so far.

2012 SEC Baseball Tournament: South Carolina 5, Auburn 3

Behind a dominating performance from starter Michael Roth, No. 2 seed South Carolina advanced to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament with a 5-3 win over No. 10 seed Auburn.

Roth gave up two runs (one earned) on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings. Matt Price pitched the final 2 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run. The Gamecocks were led at the plate by outfielder Adam Matthews, who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Catcher Grayson Greiner went 2-for-5 with two runs scored.

South Carolina scored in four of the first five innings to grab a 5-0, and the pitching staff held on for the win.

Auburn was led by DH Justin Bryant, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, but it was enough, as the Tigers' season came to an end.

The Gamecocks will play the loser of No. 3 seed Florida and No. 5 seed Vanderbilt, who play later Thursday night.

2012 SEC Baseball Tournament: Kentucky 5, Mississippi State 1

The No. 11 Kentucky baseball team clinched one of its best finished in modern program history with Thursday's 5-1 win over No. 21 Mississippi State. In the modern era of the SEC Tournament (1998-present), Kentucky has never made the semifinals before this season.

UK starter Jerad Grundy gave up one earned run on just four hits over six innings. He also struck out nine. Third baseman Thomas McCarthy led the Wildcats at the plate, going 4-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored. Catcher Michael Williams went 3-for-4 with an RBI. The Bulldogs pitching staff hadn't given up more than three earned runs in its previous 20 games.

Mississippi State scored in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead. Kentucky scored two in the third inning to take the lead and only added on. The Wildcats scored one in the fifth and put the game away with two more in the ninth. Hunter Renfroe went 2-for-4 to lead the Bulldogs.

Kentucky will get a bye and play Saturday, while Mississippi State's season will be on the line on Friday against LSU.

2012 SEC Baseball Tournament: LSU 11, Ole Miss 2

Facing elimination after using six relief pitchers on Wednesday, No. 1 seed LSU received a dominant effort from starting pitcher Kevin Gausman in their 11-2 victory over Ole Miss on Thursday.

The final score was not reflective of how close the game was, as the Tigers were only up 4-2 in the top of the eighth when they blew open the game with a five-run inning.

The LSU offense gave Gausman an early 2-0 lead in the first inning, and he never relinquished control of the game from there, giving up 2 earned runs and 7 hits in 7 strong innings.

Ole Miss did not receive as strong an effort from their starter, Tanner Bailey, who was only able to go 3 innings while giving up 3 earned runs and 7 hits. Their bullpen kept the game close for awhile, but they ultimately weren't able to hold down the Tigers offense.

For more coverage of the SEC baseball tournament, stay tuned to the SB Nation Houston storystream.

2012 SEC Baseball Tournament Day 3 Fan Poll: Who Will Be Eliminated First- LSU or Carolina?

2012 SEC Baseball Tournament Day 3 Preview: What To Watch

LSU (#1, 1-1) vs Ole Miss (#9, 1-1) 9:30 (SportsSouth & Fox Sports Houston)

• Ole Miss closer Brett Huber is now tied for first on the Ole Miss all-time saves list with Stephen Head at 26. This will also be the Rebels' third consecutive 9:30 game, which really cuts down bar hopping time for the Diamond Rebs.
• LSU threw six relief pitchers yesterday, though only Joe Broussard threw over 20 pitches. With Nola, Bonvillan, Broussard, Rumbelow, and Bourgeois all pitching yesterday, LSU continues their tradition of fielding players from the unpublished papers of Walker Percy.
  

Kentucky (#4, 1-0) vs Mississippi State (#7, 2-0) Gametime 30 min after conclusion of LSU-OM (SportsSouth)

• Mississippi State's pitching staff hasn't given up more than three earned runs in 20 games, and 17 of those were 2 or less earned runs. There's no joke there. That's just awesome.
  
• Kentucky is 30-1 when leading after four innings, but got swept MSU in the last weekend of the regular season. They also would have preferred the early timeslot, because empty stadiums make them feel like they're playing at home.
  

South Carolina (#1, 1-1) vs Auburn (#10, 1-1) 4:30 (CSS)

• The Tigers hold the top three spots in steals in the conference this season. Jay Gonzalez leads them all and swiped his 29th and 30th on Wednesday.
• USC's Christian Walker was walked three times Wednesday to become second in the SEC with 41. I GUESS THAT'S WHY THEY CALL HIM WALKER, AMIRITE?!?!
  

Florida (#3, 1-0) vs Vanderbilt (#5, 2-0) Gametime 30 min after conclusion of USC-AU (CSS)

• Junior reliever Steven Rodriguez is tied for the SEC lead in appearances with 30.
• Vanderbilt is now on a 7 game win streak, and has won 14 of 17. Wednesday's win against South Carolina was also their 13th comeback win of the season. With the perpetual late starts, Vandy is only an old bike and a trip to Phonoluxe away from Official Nashville Hipster status.

Don't let a little thing like work interrupt your enjoyment of the games today. It's almost Memorial Day weekend, anyway.

SEC Tournament: Mississippi St. Defeats LSU, 3-2

Mississippi State upset LSU on Wednesday afternoon in the SEC Baseball Tournament, defeating the top-seeded Tigers 3-2.

Chris Stratton started for Mississippi State, and lasted six innings while picking up the win. Stratton allowed two runs on five hits, while walking two and striking out eight.

Caleb Reed and Jonathan Holder came on in relief of Stratton -- and neither allowed a base runner. Reed pitched two scoreless innings while striking out one, and Holder struck out two in the ninth to pick up the save.

With the game tied at two in the sixth, Mitch Slauter doubled to put himself in scoring position, before Demarcus Henderson roped a single to right-center field, scoring Slauter and giving the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead.

Mason Katz accounted for both of Louisiana State's runs, as he lashed a two-out single into left field in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 2-2. Unfortunately for Katz and the Tigers, LSU would not score again in the contest.

LSU, the top-seed in the tournament, will now face Ole Miss in an elimination game on Thursday morning, at 9:30 a.m. CT.

Mississippi State, meanwhile, advances to face Kentucky on Thursday, with first pitch scheduled for 30 minutes after the completion of the Ole Miss/LSU game.

2012 SEC Baseball Tournament, Final Score: Ole Miss Defeats Arkansas 2-0

The Ole Miss Rebels defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 2-0 in early Wednesday action in the SEC baseball tournament, eliminating Arkansas and moving on to the second round.

The Ole Miss pitching was dominant, as Mike Mayers and Brett Huber combined for a nine-inning shutout. Mayers struck out 8 batters and allowed only 5 hits in 7 innings of work.

Each of the two Razorbacks pitchers, starter DJ Baxendale and reliever Colby Suggs, allowed only one run, but they weren't quite good enough to support an offense that couldn't get anything going against the Rebels.

The only two runs of the game came in the fourth and eighth inning, with LF Zach Kirksey and DH Sikes Orvis each contributing one RBI.

With the victory, Ole Miss moves on to face the loser of Wednesday afternoon's Mississippi State-LSU game.

For more coverage of the SEC baseball tournament, stay tuned to the SB Nation Houston storystream.

2012 SEC Baseball Tournament Day 2 Preview: What To Watch For

Here's what you need to know about today's matchups from Regions Park in Hoover, AL:

Arkansas (5) vs Ole Miss (9) 9:30 a.m. (SportsSouth & Fox Sports Houston)

• Ole Miss scattered 7 hits in a 2-0 loss to Kentucky on Tuesday, extending their losing streak to 5 games
• The Hogs gave up 6 unearned runs in the top of the 9th to lose to Mississippi State on Tuesday
• Arkansas 3B Matt Reynolds has reached base in 40 consecutive games

LSU (1) vs Mississippi State (7) Game Starts 30 Min After Conclusion Of Ark-OM (SportsSouth)

• MSU is averaging 2 runs allowed per game over the last 8 games
  
• The Tigers are 13-1 in their last 14 SEC Tournament games
• Third baseman Tyler Hanover needs four hits to become 10th All-Time at LSU in career hits (currently has 265)

Georgia (8) vs Auburn (10) 4:30 (CSS)

• Auburn's three hits in a 6-1 loss to Florida yesterday was their lowest hit total in the tournament since 1991
• UGA starting pitcher Alex Wood hit home plate umpire AJ Lostaglio in the arm in the second inning in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to Vanderbilt, and Lostaglio had to leave the game
• Georgia swept the Tigers the first weekend of May

South Carolina (2) vs Vanderbilt (5) Game Starts 30 Min After Conclusion of UGA-AU (CSS)

• Vanderbilt has won six games in a row and 12 of their last 14
• Last year Vandy also beat UGA and played USC in their second game of the tournament, winning 7-2
• South Carolina is looking to get back into the win column after losing the SEC Championship-deciding rubber match to LSU on the last day of the regular season

2012 SEC Baseball Tournament, Final Score: Florida Defeats Auburn 6-1

In the first game of Bracket Two in the SEC Baseball Tournament, the No. 3 seed Florida Gators defeated No. 10 seed Auburn 6-1 on Tuesday.

Florida will face No. 2 seed South Carolina on Wednesday, while Auburn will face the loser of No. 5 seed Vanderbilt and No. 8 seed Georgia, who play later Tuesday night.

Jonathan Crawford gave up one unearned run on two hits over 5 2/3 innings for Florida. The Gators opened the scoring when Jordan Shafer hit a two-out two-RBI single in the bottom of the second. Shafer went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. With the score 2-1 in the sixth, Florida added on three runs to pull away.

Auburn starter Jon Luke Jacobs gave up five earned runs over 5 1/3 innings. But the Tigers only managed three hits for the game against Florida pitching.

For more on the SEC baseball tournament stay tuned to this Storystream and SB Nation's SEC blog Team Speed Kills.

2012 SEC Baseball Tournament, Final Score: Mississippi State Defeats Arkansas 9-1

Mississippi State entered the 2012 SEC Baseball Tournament as one of the hottest teams in the league, having swept Kentucky out of a chance at the overall regular season title this past weekend. They didn't slow down, defeating Arkansas 9-1 on Tuesday afternoon in the first round.

State sealed the game with a nearly half-hour long top of the ninth, scoring six runs to erase all doubt. MSU started the scoring on a Wes Rea three-run homer in the top of the second, but Arkansas cut the lead with a two-out RBI single from Matt Vinson, before State would blow open the ninth inning on two Arkansas throwing errors.

The No. 7 seeded Bulldogs will now advance to play No. 1 overall seed LSU on Wednesday (1 p.m. ET, Sports South). The winner of that game will face No. 4 seed Kentucky, who defeated Ole Miss 2-0 in the first game of the day on Tuesday.

For more on the SEC baseball tournament stay tuned to this Storystream and SB Nation's SEC blog Team Speed Kills.

2012 SEC College Baseball Tournament: Kentucky Advances, Will Face LSU In Second Round

The first game of the 2012 SEC college baseball tournament is in the books. On Tuesday morning, No. 9 Mississippi Rebels took on the No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats. The LSU Tigers now know who they will face in the second round, as Kentucky defeated Ole Miss by a final score of 2-0.

The game was scoreless through three and a half innings before Kentucky finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, designated hitter A.J. Reed hit a home run to right field to put the Wildcats on top, 1-0.

In the bottom of the sixth, right fielder Cameron Flynn hit an RBI single to stretch the Kentucky lead to 2-0. The Wildcats held the Ole Miss lineup down. Apart from Ole Miss first baseman Matt Snyder, who was 4-for-4, the Rebels only managed three additional hits.

Kentucky will now face LSU on Wednesday in the second round of the tournament.

For more on the SEC baseball tournament stay tuned to this Storystream and SB Nation's SEC blog Team Speed Kills.

2012 SEC College Baseball Tournament: Everything You Need To Know

The SEC baseball tournament starts this Tuesday at Regions Park in Hoover, AL, and SBNation Houston has all of the information you'll need before first pitch.

Click here for a viewable bracket of the 2012 SEC Baseball Tournament

The Field

This is the first year of a ten-team field in anticipation of the addition of Texas A&M and MIssouri next season. As a result, the tournament will start on Tuesday instead of the Wednesday as in years past. Tennessee and Alabama shan't be attending, as they went a combined 17-43 in SEC play.

Tell Me About This New Bracket.

Other than the Tuesday start, you'll notice that division winners LSU and South Carolina have a bye on Tuesday. The winners of Game 6 and Game 8 on Thursday won't play again until Saturday. That means if LSU were to go into the championship undefeated, they would only have to play four games, which while tough is still much easier on the bullpen than playing five.If LSU loses on Wednesday, though, they'll have to win twice on Thursday in order to get back into the winner's bracket.

What Teams Have Been Playing Well? Who Is Limping Into The Tournament?

After a bad first half of conference play, Vanderbilt has been, frankly, kicking everyone's ass. They have won series against a then-top five Kentucky, LSU, and swept a ranked Ole Miss team in the last weekend of the regular season. They are 8-2 over their last ten games and will be very dangerous on the South Carolina side of the bracket.

LSU won an insanely huge series at South Carolina this past weekend to win the regular season championship, and Mississippi State travels to Hoover fresh off a sweep of Kentucky behind a starting rotation that has been treating home plate like sniper target practice over the last few weeks.

Despite a great season, Kentucky needs to prove themselves after getting swept last weekend and blowing a shot at a conference title. Ole Miss also got swept and has been, like most of the rest of the field, incredibly inconsistent over the course of the season.

How Will The Tournament Affect NCAA Tournament Bids?

LSU and South Carolina are all but guaranteed to be national seeds at this point. Kentucky is on the bubble, and will probably host but not be a top-eight seed. Florida and Arkansas will also likely host, and everyone else will be a two or three seed.

Venue, Game Times, TV, etc

Regions Park in Hoover has been hosting the SEC Tournament for fifteen years. It's in the middle of the suburbs, and the traffic sucks. Not a great venue. Games are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. for tv, but rarely do any games start on time. SportsSouth and CSS will split coverage Tue-Sat and ESPN2 will broadcast the championship on Sunday. Buy tickets here. Drink beer at The J Clyde and Good People Brewing in Birmingham.

2012 SEC Baseball Tournament Schedule: LSU, South Carolina Earn First Round Byes

With the college baseball regular season over it is now conference tournament time, and the SEC postseason tournament has been finalized and is set to begin in Hoover, Ala. The tournament begins on Tuesday May 22 with the opening round.

LSU and South Carolina earned byes by finishing as the top two team in the SEC this year, so they do not play until Wednesday May 23.

Here is the the tournament schedule and bracket (all times eastern):

For more on the SEC baseball tournament stay tuned to this Storystream and SB Nation's SEC blog Team Speed Kills.

2012 SEC Baseball Tournament Bracket: LSU, South Carolina In Good Position

South Carolina and LSU appear to be in line for first-round byes in the 2012 SEC baseball tournament.