Fans in Alex Box Stadium on Sunday saw the LSU baseball team do something it has not done in the past four seasons.
Coming into the game, the Tigers had won 131 straight games when leading after eight innings and were poised to continue the trend, holding an 8-5 advantage going into the ninth against Stetson University.
After a four-run Stetson rally in the final three outs, the Hatters became the first team since 2002 to overtake LSU in the last inning.
“It just shows that the other team can come from behind and get it done,” LSU coach Smoke Laval said. “You have to play 27 outs. We hit the ball very well and our outs were hard — those things don’t bother me.”
Sophomore right-hander Michael Bonura put the Tigers in an early hole in the ninth by hitting the pinch-hitting lead-off Stetson hitter, Charley Olson.
“You can’t do that, period,” Laval said. “They’re taking. You’re throwing the ball right down the middle of the plate. How can you miss by that much?”
After hitting the Olson, Bonura gave way to senior right-hander Chase Dardar.
“[Bonura] came in and wasn’t focused in the ninth,” senior catcher Matt Liuzza said. “With that, they’re going to be taking. We just need to throw the ball over the plate.”
Dardar dealt another free pass by walking Jeremy Cruz.
Second baseman Brandon Paritz followed with a single through the left side to load the bases for the Hatters.
Then sophomore shortstop Michael Hollander picked the wrong time to commit his fourth error of the season.
Designated hitter Brian Pruitt hit a potential double-play ground ball that shot under Hollander’s glove into the outfield to bring the Hatters within one run.
“Chase came in and got us ground balls,” Liuzza said. “That’s all that you can ask from him.”
The Hatters tied the game on the ensuing single by Chris Johnson, and Dardar gave way to senior right-hander Edgar Ramirez.
But Stetson kept the string of hits alive with an RBI single by shortstop Brian Bocock.
Ramirez closed the inning with two strikeouts and a fly ball to center field.
LSU tried to salvage the game in the ninth. Freshman second baseman Nicholas Pontiff led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk and advanced to second on a Bruce Sprowl sacrifice bunt.
But the Tigers did not threaten anymore after Hollander popped out to the catcher and freshman outfielder Jarred Bogany hit a hard ground ball to the pitcher.
“It was real frustrating,” Pontiff said. “We have a lot of young guys, Smoke was just talking to us about it, and he said the young guys, we lose our focus going into the Sunday game.”
On Saturday, senior right-fielder Quinn Stewart joined an elite home run club to help the Tigers to an 11-7 victory.
Stewart hit three home runs and had a career-high six RBIs on a day when the wind was blowing out to left field at 18 mph, at times gusting to 23 mph.
He followed his performance with another two-run homer Sunday. Stewart finished the series with four home runs and eight RBIs.
Stewart joins former Tigers, such as Brandon Larson, Eddy Furniss and Brad Cresse, who have hit three home runs in a game.
The Tigers opened the series Friday and used five one-run innings to top the Hatters, 5-1.
 
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