HOOVER, Ala. — Blake Dean hit a home run in the bottom of the 10 th inning Wednesday to cap a late comeback and give LSU a 5-4 victory over South Carolina in the opening game of the SEC Tournament at Regions Park.

Jared Bradford (10-4 ) pitched a scoreless 10 th inning after giving up a leadoff walk as the Tigers (40-16-1 ) extended their winning streak to 17 games. LSU hasn’t lost since April 19.

“It was an amazing comeback,” LSU Coach Paul Mainieri said. “It was probably one of the best I have witnessed as a coach. I felt bad for [South Carolina Coach ] Ray Tanner and his team because they played their hearts out.” LSU trailed 4-0 entering the bottom of the ninth, but two walks set up a three-run home run by Matt Clark off Will Atwood, cutting the lead to 4-3.

With two outs in the ninth, Ryan Schimpf blooped a hit that barely landed inside the left-field line, allowing D. J. LeMahieu to score from first base and sending the game into extra innings.

“We pitched pretty good in this game, but our bullpen came out and missed some pitches that really hurt us,” Tanner said. “Then Ryan Schimpf kept the ball in fair territory after we got two strikes on him.

“ Had we been able to pick that ball up, we might have been able to keep one of those runs held on third.” Dean sealed the victory an inning later by sending a 2-0 pitch from Alex Farotto (0-1 ) over the right-field fence.

“It wasn’t like usual, but we believe in each other,” Dean said. “We know that if one person doesn’t get it done, then the one coming behind him will.

“ Coach always tells us to play the full game, so we played all nine innings. We just kept battling and battling.

The Gamecocks (37-20 ) were in control for much of the game, thanks to freshman pitcher Sam Dyson, who allowed only two hits 2 over 6 / 3 innings. Dyson gave up a leadoff single in the second inning, then did not allow another hit until the seventh. He was pulled after giving up a two-out triple to LeMahieu in the seventh. “ Dyson played absolutely awesome,” Mainieri said. “ We couldn’t get any swings against him. No one has really shut us down like that all year. “ South Carolina broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth when Phil Disher blasted a home run just to the right of the 405-foot marker in straightway center field. It was Disher’s 17 th home run of the season.

The Gamecocks extended their lead to 3-0 in the sixth when Harley Lail delivered a two-run single to left field with two outs and the bases loaded. South Carolina added another run in the top of the ninth when DeAngelo Mack scored on a single by Reese Havens. VANDERBILT 7, FLORIDA 3 Vanderbilt (38-18 ) hit 14 singles to grind out a victory over Florida (34-21 ) in the first round of the tournament. The victory ended the Commodores’ fivegame losing streak, their longest in SEC play since 2003. Vanderbilt closed the regular season by being swept in a three-game series against the Gators.

Andrew Giobbi and Steven Liddle went 3 for 5 with an RBI to lead the Commodores. Jonathan White and Dominic de la Osa had two hits each, and David Macias had two RBI on a hit and a sacrifice fly.

Vanderbilt put at least one man on base in each of the first six innings in building a 6-1 lead off Florida starter Patrick Keating (8-1 ).

The Commodores took the lead for good with three runs in the second inning. Their scoring was the result of three singles, a sacrifice bunt, a fielder’s choice and a Florida error.

The small ball continued in the fourth inning as Vanderbilt parlayed two singles, a walk and a double-play into another run and a 5-1 lead.

That was all that Vanderbilt starter Mike Minor (6-3 ) would need as he picked up the victory.

Florida was led offensively by Brandon McArthur, who went 2 for 4 with an RBI. MISSISSIPPI 4, GEORGIA 1 Ole Miss starter Lance Lynn tied his career high with 12 strikeouts to help lead the Rebels (35-22 ) to a victory over top-seeded Georgia (35-20-1 ) in the first round.

The Rebels provided Lynn with all the run support he needed in the top of the first when Cody Overbeck lined a two-run single to left field, giving Ole Miss a 2-0 lead against Georgia starter Nick Montgomery (2-2 ).

Lynn (7-3 ) took over from there. He retired eight of the first nine batters, four by strikeout. Through the fifth inning he had allowed only one player to reach second base.

The Rebels stretched their lead to 3-0 in the fourth on a controversial home run by Michael Guerrero. SEC Tournament glance At Regions Park in Hoover, Ala. WEDNESDAY’S GAMES LSU 5, South Carolina 4 (10 innings ) Vanderbilt 7, Florida 3 Ole Miss 4, Georgia 1 Game 4 Alabama vs. Kentucky TODAY’S GAMES Game 5 South Carolina vs. Florida, 10 a.m. Game 6 Georgia vs. Loser Game 4, 1 p.m. Game 7 LSU vs. Vanderbilt, 5 p.m. Game 8 Ole Miss vs. Winner Game 4, 8 p.m.