EUNICE, La. – As the Region 23 Tournament crept into Friday, there is no doubt that playoff baseball is here. LSU Eunice used a two-out Slate Fuller RBI to take down Itawamba, 5-4, in an 11 inning thriller. The win leaves the Bengals as the lone undefeated team in tournament play, and one victory away from Saturday's Championship Game.
Fuller paced the Bengals offense in the later innings, plating a go-ahead run in the 7th and the eventual game winner. The Barbe HS product led LSUE with a 3-for-6 evening to go along with those two crucial RBIs.
LSUE roared out to an early 3-0 lead after Jacob Richard brought in two runs on a double to right center in the second inning and Koi Westbrook drove in a run in the fourth.
ICC responded with three runs in the bottom half of the fourth on a fielder's choice, passed ball and LSUE error. The Indians outhit the Bengals, 11-9, led by Hunter Nabors three-hit night.
After Fuller's go-ahead base hit in the seventh, Kyle Crigger tied the game up again with a RBI single in the eighth inning.
Koi Westbrook joined Fuller as the only Bengals with multi-hit nights.
Austin Bradford (5-0) kept the Bengals alive with two shutout innings, striking out three batters. Bradford even had a plate appearance, reaching safely on a one-out error in the 10th inning.
Landon Clifton gave up a lead-off double in the bottom half of the 11th but retired the next three Indian batters, striking out two. Clifton picked up his 11th save of the season, the fourth most for an LSUE pitcher in a single-season season.
Bengals starter Andrew Sheridan threw five innings, scattering three runs on seven hits and a walk. Jacob Spell and Brent Hebert bridged the game to Bradford, and were part of a nine strikeout effort by the LSUE arms.
LSU Eunice advances to play the winner of tomorrow's game between Itawamba and Mississippi Gulf Coast. Meridian and Pearl River is the other game on tap for Friday's action in the Region 23 Tournament. All games can be seen live on Bengal All-Access.
Fans can also follow the baseball team's Twitter (@LSUEBengalsBSB), Facebook (@LSUEuniceBaseball) and Instagram (@LSUEBengals) accounts.
