If the University of New Orleans baseball team thought it could upset the nation’s No. 3 club, LSU junior first baseman Chris Chinea crushed those dreams with one swing.
Chinea blasted an a two-run double in the bottom of the fifth, blowing open a one-run game and jolting the No. 3 Tigers (28-5) to an 11-2 victory against UNO (11-21) Tuesday night in Alex Box Stadium.
It was the fifth consecutive win for LSU, which last loss came against Kentucky in 11 innings March 29, but it was only the fourth game in the last eight that didn’t go to extra innings. 
With four more games in the next five days, coach Paul Mainieri said it was a good start to the Tigers’ hectic spring break.
“We played well,” Mainieri said. “The guys had a good level of intensity and energy and got after it. It was a good start to the homestand.”
The Tigers, who are one of the Southeastern Conference’s top offensive clubs, racked up 14 hits against UNO, giving them 11 consecutive games with at least 10 hits. LSU also broke the six-run barrier for the seventh straight game.
“If we keep swinging long enough, the balls are going to eventually find some holes,” said LSU senior outfielder Chris Sciambra. “We’ve really been in a groove the last couple of games offensively, so we’ve got to keep it going.”
But UNO found its groove in the fifth.
Trailing 3-0 after four innings, junior outfielder Ryan Calloway put UNO on board with an RBI double down the left field line, and junior outfielder Chaz Boyer later scored on a groundout to make it a 3-2 game.
But with a little bit of help, Chinea made sure the Privateers never got closer.
UNO junior second baseman Ray Veit committed a throwing error with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, opening the door for Chinea’s two-run double to deep centerfield. Chinea’s bomb gave the Tigers a 5-2 cushion, and they never looked back.
“Like good teams do, we pounced on that opportunity,” Mainieri said. “Chinea came through with a big hit and kind of broke the game open.”
The Tigers added more six runs after Chinea’s two-run blast, including a combined five in the sixth and seventh innings.
LSU sophomore third baseman Danny Zardon, who replaced an injured Conner Hale in the fourth, and senior designated hitter Kade Scivicque each belted RBI singles in the sixth inning, and Sciambra crushed a three-run homer down the right field line in the seventh.
Eight Tigers recorded a hit and five had RBIs, something that wasn’t surprising to Chinea.
“Everyone is a spark plug on this team,” Chinea said. “In order to win the national championship, everybody has to be a spark plug.”
With the Tigers providing plenty of run support at the plate, the pitchers took care of business on the mound.
Senior pitcher Kyle Bouman started for LSU and lasted a season-best 4 and ⅓ innings before giving up the Privateers’ only runs of the night.
Sophomore pitcher Russell Reynolds (3-0), who relieved Bouman in the fifth, picked up the win after tossing 3 and ⅔ innings of scoreless baseball, and junior southpaw Hunter Devall retired three of the four batter he faced in the ninth to end the game.
The Tigers’ pitching staff shutout UNO in every inning but the two-run fifth.
“Kyle Bouman did a really nice job and got us off to a good start,” Mainieri said. “Russell came in and did a good job, and then we got Hunter Devall in, who hasn’t pitched in a while. Our pitching was super.”
The Tigers have less than 24 hours before hitting the diamond against Northwestern State at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in Alex Box Stadium.
After struggling in consecutive outings, LSU freshman pitcher Jake Godfrey (5-0, 4.24 ERA) will make his first midweek start of the season.
It’s been a forgettable two weeks for Godfrey, who hasn’t lasted longer than two innings in each of his last two outings. In starts against Kentucky and Alabama, Godfrey was rocked for a combined eight earned runs on 11 hits.
But the Illinois native may have hit bottom against the Crimson Tide last Saturday.
Alabama, which ranks in the bottom half of the SEC in both hitting and runs scored, chased Godfrey off the mound almost immediately, racking up four runs on five hits before the freshman was pulled with two outs to go in the first.
Wednesday’s game could be a chance for Godfrey to work himself back into the weekend rotation. Mainieri said on Monday that freshman pitcher Austin Bain would get the starting nod against Auburn on Sunday. 
But for now, the Tigers will enjoy winning a game that didn’t require extra innings.
“It felt like every game we’ve been playing lately has been extra innings,” Chinea said. “It was good to go out there and put runs on the board and have the pitching staff do a great job to end the game in nine innings in 11-2 fashion.”