Blake Dean hit a grand slam in the eighth inning and drove in six runs to send streaking LSU into the Southeastern Conference tournament title game with a 12-8 comeback win over Alabama on Saturday.
Dean’s slam that easily cleared the right field fence off reliever Josh Copeland topped off a six-run inning for the Tigers (42-16-1). It also helped LSU match the school record 19-game winning streak set by the 1997 team.
Seeking their first tournament title since 2000, the Tigers will meet the Vanderbilt-Mississippi winner on Sunday. They have come from behind to win all three games at Regions Park.
“Another tremendous comeback by a great group of kids,” LSU coach Paul Mainieri said. “It sounds like a broken record.”
Dean, who had a two-run single and went 3-for-5, also hit the game-winning solo homer in the bottom of the 10th to beat South Carolina on Wednesday. He got ahead in the count 2-0.
“I was guessing he’d throw a fastball, and he threw it right down the middle,” Dean said. “Just like (Wednesday), it’s one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever had.”
The Crimson Tide (34-26) had scored six straight runs after falling behind, 3-0, and nearly rallied again. Josh Rutledge’s two-run single in the bottom of the eighth cut it to 10-8, but reliever Jared Bradford got two straight groundouts to keep the lead intact.
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