The LSU baseball team wanted a three-game sweep. Georgia wanted to end the series with a win.
Neither club got what it wanted.
No. 2 LSU and Georgia were slated to play a series finale at noon Sunday but were never given a chance due to inclement weather in Athens, Georgia.
Severe thunderstorms struck Foley Field nearly an hour before the game was originally scheduled to begin, and a tornado watch was set in the area until 3 p.m. EDT, according to the National Weather Service. A flash flood watch was also put in effect from 8:01 a.m. EDT on April 19 to 2 a.m. EDT on April 20.
The game was thrown into a delay almost 40 minutes before it was set to start but was officially cancelled an hour and a half later. LSU and Georgia will not make-up the game this season, meaning both clubs will finish with at least one fewer game.
Even though it wasn’t a three-game sweep, the Tigers (34-6, 12-5 Southeastern Conference) left Athens without a scar and kept the Bulldogs (20-20, 6-11 SEC) out of the win column.
After Friday’s series opener was rained out, LSU didn’t miss a beat in a makeshift doubleheader, clawing past Georgia, 4-1, in the first game before trouncing the Bulldogs, 9-1, in Game 2 on Saturday.
LSU freshman pitcher Alex Lange (7-0, 1.40 ERA) and sophomore pitcher Jared Poche’ (7-1, 2.90 ERA) each collected a win Saturday and gave the Tigers a combined 13 innings of two-run baseball.
Making his first start in two weeks, Lange gave up a homer to the first batter he faced in the noon game, but the freshman overpowered Georgia from there. He surrendered just four hits after junior infielder Nick King’s solo shot, including just one over his final four innings.
Like Lange, Poche’ also collected his seventh win of the season despite giving up a home run. Poche’, who was making his first Game 2 start since his freshman campaign, allowed one run — a solo homer to junior catcher Zack Bowers — in seven innings of work, his third-longest outing of the season.
Poche’ gave up three hits after the second-inning home run and retired 15 of the last 18 batters he faced. The southpaw also rang up five strikeouts while issuing just one walk.
The Tigers head back to Baton Rouge riding a four-game winning streak. LSU has lost only once in the last 12 games, with series wins against Alabama, Auburn and the Bulldogs during that span.
The Tigers will play in-state foe Tulane on Tuesday before getting set for a potentially season-turning series against No. 1 Texas A&M starting Thursday.
You can reach David Gray on Twitter @dgray_TDR