May 22, 2008
Vanderbilt Quotes:
Vanderbilt Head Coach Tim Corbin:
Opening statement:
“We played a very good team tonight. The story of the game was the two big innings they had against us. I thought the turning point of the game was the hit by pitch. They got hits all night long including a two strike homerun. Some positives from the game included our pitching towards the end of the game but now we have to go out and play better tomorrow.”
On the errors in the fifth inning:
“We didn’t slow the game down. We let it spin out of control there for a while witha couple of over throws that hurt a lot. We felt the game momentum swing over to the other dugout. After that they squared up for another hit and for a time there the game was really out of ocntrol for us. I got the guys together and told them to just slow things a bit because it was only 4-1 at that point and we still had a chance to comeback. It was unforunate.”
Pitcher Caleb Cotham:
On the game:
“It was a tough one for us today. LSU really broke the game open in those two innings. We never really answered their rally but we have to come back and play really well from here on out.”
Designated Hitter Parker Hanks:
On the game:
“In the fifth and sixth innings, I made some mistakes and they hit those balls oretty hard. With a team as good as LSU you cannot make mistakes or they will really make you pay for that.”
LSU Quotes:
LSU Head Coach Paul Mainieri:
Opening statement:
“It was a big win tonight for the Tigers. This was a pivotal game for us. It put us in the final bracket where someone has to beat you twice, and that is a very comforting thing. It takes some stress off of your pitching staff. This team amazes me more everyday. That first inning looked like their pitcher was going to overmatch us, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell that in the dugout. They were not in a panic, and were able to piece together some great hits.”
On his pitchers in the tournament:
“I would not trade Verdugo or Martin for anything. They are both consistent and continue to challenge hitters and set the tone of the game. If I was a position player, I would love to play behind them because they allow batters to hit, so you would be able to make those defensive stops. I just thought that they both played great.”
Pitcher Blake Martin:
On his performance:
“I just came in and tried to get as deep in the game as I could. In tournaments, you want to save your pitching as much as possible. I just tried to throw strikes. I thought our defense was amazing. Once we got those seven runs, I still tried to throw strikes and let them put the ball into play.”
Second Baseman Ryan Schimpf:
On the game:
“You have to give Blake Martin a lot of credit tonight. He pitched a heck of a game. We had some big hits with Derek Helenihi hitting that homerun and Leon Landry coming in big for us twice. All the credit goes to Blake because when you can pitch like that, it makes it a little bit easier on you.”