University of Tennessee Athletics
Gomes' Walkoff Grand Slam Sweeps LSU
March 16, 2008 | Baseball
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KNOXVILLE - Yan Gomes capped a nine-RBI day by clubbing a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Tennessee baseball team a 7-3 win over LSU in Game 2 of a Sunday doubleheader at Robert M. Lindsay Field at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The win was UT???s eighth in a row and gave the Big Orange their first-ever three-game sweep over LSU. The series dates to 1907.
Tennessee (12-4, 3-0 SEC) also won Sunday???s Game 1 by a 7-3 score. Led by first-year head coach Todd Raleigh, UT has opened Southeastern Conference play with three straight wins for the first time since the 2001 season.
???We fought all weekend,??? Raleigh said. ???Our fight right now has been really, really good. I don???t know what to say. Guys like (Jeff) Lockwood and Gomes have been huge for us here lately.
???It was also tremendous to see the environment. The crowd was awesome today.???
The teams sped through three scoreless innings in Sunday???s Game 2, with each club logging a pair of hits to that point. LSU centerfielder Derek Helenihi led off the fourth with a triple off the wall in center, and he scored one batter later when Blake Dean sent an RBI single down the right-field line.
The Tigers (11-6, 0-3 SEC) added another run later in the fourth when designated hitter Matt Gaudet delivered an RBI basehit to give LSU a 2-0 lead.
Gomes duplicated Helenihi???s leadoff triple in the bottom of the fourth. It was the first career triple for the not-so-fleet-of-foot catcher but his third extra-base hit of the series. The ???Baseball Gods??? then smiled on UT first baseman Jeff Lockwood when his check swing on an 0-2 pitch resulted in an RBI bloop single to left field.
After issuing a two-out walk to UT third baseman Cody Brown in the bottom of the fifth, LSU starting pitcher Blake Martin was lifted in favor of reliever Paul Bertuccini. But Bertuccini???s third pitch was belted out of the park in left-center by Gomes for a go-ahead, two-run homer. It was Gomes??? first dinger of the year and the ninth of his career.
Tigers third baseman Michael Hollander came through with a clutch, two-out solo homer in the top of the seventh to tie the score at 3-3.
???There was absolutely zero panic,??? Raleigh said of the mood in the UT dugout following Hollander???s home run. ???The kid hit a good pitch. You???ve got to tip your hat. We just came right back and did what we had to do.???
In the bottom of the seventh, UT shortstop Danny Lima led off with a walk, and he was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by senior Andy Simunic. LSU then opted to intentionally walk Vols centerfielder Kentrail Davis, putting runners at first and second with one out for Brown. Tigers reliever Daniel Bradshaw walked Brown on five pitches to load the bases for Gomes.
Gomes??? walk-off grand slam left the yard in left-center and was never in question. It was his 10th career home run and his first grand slam. The sophomore from Miami, Fla., drove in three runs in Sunday???s Game 1, and hit .545 (6-for-11) in the series.
???Yan seemed to pick it up this weekend,??? Raleigh said. ???He seemed to play a lot harder. He was really locked in this weekend. I saw the focus in his eyes. There???s a lot to be said about a guy who comes back when he???s down.???
In addition to being its first-ever sweep of the Tigers, the sweep also marks the first time Tennessee has won back-to-back series against LSU. The Vols won two of three games last year in Baton Rouge.
The Vols depart Tuesday for a five-game road trip that includes midweek games at Lipscomb (Tuesday, 6 p.m. CT) and Louisville (Wednesday, 3 p.m. ET) before a weekend SEC series at Georgia.
