LSU's Sydney Berzon sets SEC Tournament record with brilliant 14-inning outing

LSU topped Alabama 3-2 in a game that was officially the longest in SEC Tournament history, lasting some 14 innings. The game took nearly four hours.

The Tigers had a little ace up their sleeve, too. While the Crimson Tide had to replace their starting pitcher midway through the contest, Tigers starter Sydney Berzon went the distance with a record performance.

“I had made a comment to coach yesterday, I told her I’d do whatever it took and I wasn’t going to back down from it,” Berzon told the SEC Network’s Alyssa Lang after the win. “So I found it in me and we made it work.”

LSU tied the contest at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning, but neither team could push across the key run to end it in regulation. And a second game broke out instead.

Little did Berzon know she’d end up going an SEC Tournament record 14 innings. She rallied herself through it.

“Just (told myself) to keep going, that they believed in me, that they knew I had it in me,” Berzon said. “That’s what motivated me, knowing they had the trust in me.”

Berzon earned the win after going 14 full innings, with just eight hits and two runs allowed. She struck out five and walked six but worked her way around potential danger spots adeptly.

That kept LSU in position to strike when the opportunity presented itself.

Sure enough it did in the bottom of the 14th inning after LSU got two aboard with nobody out. A strikeout allowed Alabama to get one out, but then LSU loaded the bases with another single.

Shortstop Taylor Pleasants stepped to the plate with the bags juiced.

“If there’s someone to be up to bat in that moment she’s the best option,” Berzon said. “I was just so excited for her right there.”

Pleasants battled through a couple pitches, eventually going down 1-2 in the count. Then she got a pitch she liked and put a good swing on it, sending it toward the warning track in center field. It fell for a hit, an RBI single that provided a walk-off win.

A well-deserved walk-off win, at that.

Now the Tigers will kick back and prepare for 1-seed Tennessee on Thursday.

“Probably relax for a little bit, get ready for tomorrow and just hopefully be here the rest of the week,” Berzon said.