LSU’s attempt at a ninth-inning rally fell short when they traveled to face UNO at Maestri Field on Wednesday night.
Despite holding a lead for a large portion of the game, the Tigers (23-14, 6-9) were not able to claw their way back after the Privateers (23-12) went up by two runs in the eighth inning, and later won, 6-5.
LSU has dropped three straight to the in-state foe dating back to this past season.
The Tigers closed in on the Privateers’ 6-4 lead in the ninth inning when freshman shortstop DJ LeMahieu scored. LSU brought the score to 6-5 on a single by junior designated hitter Taylor Davis. UNO was able to get the next two batters to fly out to preserve the win.
“This is a tough loss because I thought we had opportunities during the game to score and expand our lead,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri in a news release. “UNO got a big hit at the right time, and they were able to win the ball game. We have to rebound quickly because we have the SEC leader coming to Alex Box on Friday.”
The Privateers went up 1-0 in the first inning after a solo home run from senior left fielder Joey Butler.
LSU retaliated in the next inning when freshman center fielder Leon Landry hit an RBI single into right field that allowed LeMahieu to score from third base and tie the score at 1.
LeMahieu led the Tigers, going 3-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored.
The Tigers scored again in the fourth inning when junior right fielder Derek Helenihi scored on an RBI groundout by junior first baseman Matt Clark. This brought the score to 2-1.
Landry, who finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, increased LSU’s lead to 3-1 in the fifth inning when he hit a solo home run over the left field wall.
UNO battled back to within one run in the bottom half of that inning when UNO senior right fielder Mark McGonigle hit a RBI single that scored senior catcher Josh Vander Hey.
LSU increased its lead to two runs again in the sixth inning when LeMahieu singled-in Helenihi to take a 4-2 advantage.
In the bottom half of that inning, the Privateers closed the gap to 4-3 when a wild pitch by sophomore Paul Bertuccini allowed Butler to score from third base.
UNO senior third baseman T.J. Baxter hit a two-RBI triple to left-center field in the bottom of the eighth inning, which put the Privateers on top 5-4 – their first lead since the first inning.
UNO tacked another run onto their lead when sophomore first baseman Nick Schwaner grounded out to second base to score Baxter two batters later.
New Orleans junior pitcher Ryan O’Shea (1-1) was credited with the win for his 2 1/3 innings of work.
Freshman Daniel Bradshaw (1-5) pitched two innings and took the loss for the Tigers.
LSU faces No. 13 Georgia this weekend in Alex Box Stadium.
—-Contact Johanathan Brooks at [email protected]