Four runs in the top of the eighth from Lipscomb University were not enough to overcome a six-run deficit as the LSU baseball team defeated the Bisons (11-5), 8-4 Sunday at Alex Box Stadium. After dropping the first two games, junior pitcher Jared Bradford stole the show by striking out 13 Bison batters to snap the Tigers’ (8-6) four-game losing skid and make certain they would avoid being swept. LSU coach Paul Mainieri said the way Bradford – who is the team’s closer – pitched today puts pressure on him to make a decision. “[He’s] such a versatile pitcher that it almost creates a dilemma because you don’t know whether to use him as a closer or as a starter,” Mainieri said. “It’s obvious…he would be our best starting pitcher, but what you don’t want to see happen is him go pitch seven good innings and not have anyone to close out games.” The Tigers jumped out to a 1-0 lead after senior second baseman Chris Jackson homered on the fourth pitch of the game. Freshman center fielder Jared Mitchell followed Jackson’s home run with a single and was driven in by freshman left fielder Blake Dean to increase LSU’s lead to 2-0 at the end of the first inning. LSU added two more runs in the third, another in the fourth and went on top 6-0 in the seventh after Mitchell scored on a sacrifice fly by freshman catcher Sean Ochinko. The Tigers responded to the four runs Lipscomb scored in the eighth off sophomore pitcher Darryl Shaffer by adding two more runs in the eighth to increase their lead to 8-4. After two sub-par outings by senior pitcher Clay Dirks and junior pitcher Charlie Furbush, Bradford pitched 7.1 innings, giving up just three hits and two earned runs. Bradford said he began wearing down toward the end of the game and said he told Mainieri at the beginning of the season he has never been a strikeout pitcher. “Most of my fastballs were sinkers, so that was definitely the pitch that helps,” Bradford said. “And even if they hit the pitch, it’s on the bottom half of the barrel and they’re going to ground out.” Bradford’s strong outing comes a day after Dirks allowed six earned runs in the first 1.2 innings of the game as the Tigers lost, 10-7. Friday’s match-up had similar results as the Tigers blew a two-run seventh inning lead to lose, 7-6. Lipscomb’s baseball coach, Jeff Forehand, said it would have been nice to get the sweep, but two out of three will have to do. “Just to have the opportunity to come down and play these guys is what we were excited about,” Forehand said. “This gives us a chance to prepare for May and prepare for some of the other teams in our conference … and the fact we picked up two is just gravy.” Mainieri said he hopes Tuesday’s game against Centenary University at 7 p.m. will begin a streak for the Tigers. “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Mainieri said. “We broke the losing streak…and maybe this week can be the starting point of good things to come.” Tuesday’s starter will be freshman pitcher T.J. Forrest, and it will be his first start of the season. “T.J.’s going to start Tuesday night,” Mainieri said. “And it’s going to be in his hometown so that’s going to be a neat little story line.”
—–Contact Jay St. Pierre [email protected]