The LSU baseball team learned just how hard it is to repeat as national champions last weekend — once again at the hands of a Mike Gillespie-coached team.Gillespie’s UC Irvine Anteaters (39-21) eliminated the Tigers from the postseason, 4-3, Sunday evening in the Los Angeles regional.Gillespie also took down LSU in 1998 as the coach at USC when the Tigers were trying for their third consecutive College World Series title.LSU’s up-and-down season ended Sunday after the Tigers failed to cash in on chances with runners on base in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. “We had our opportunities,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri in a news release. “You just start to feel like it was just not meant to be. I think our kids played real hard and gave it all they had.”Senior designated hitter Matt Gaudet hit into a double play in the ninth inning with the tying run on first base. Sophomore second baseman Tyler Hanover then popped up to close the book on the Tigers’ 2010 season.”I wish we could have found that extra run we needed to keep the game going because I thought we were going to pull that one off,” said junior center fielder Leon Landry in a press release. UC Irvine junior third baseman Drew Hillman’s solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning proved to be the difference in the one-run defeat.”It didn’t happen for us this year,” Mainieri said. “We got what we earned and deserved and that was to come out west to a very difficult tournament.”LSU suffered its first loss in the regional Saturday night against No. 8 UCLA, 6-3. The Bruins had seven hits and four runs off Tiger starting pitcher Anthony Ranaudo.LSU made a comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning, scoring three runs, but the rally came up short.The Tigers did pull out late-inning heroics Friday night against the Anteaters. Sophomore left fielder Trey Watkins’ walk-off double in the bottom of the 11th inning with two outs claimed the victory, 11-10.Sophomore shortstop Austin Nola was also clutch in the bottom of the ninth inning with a game-tying RBI single with two outs to send the game into extra innings.But that magic wasn’t present Sunday night as the Tigers’ season ended.”I just wanted to come our every year and do my part, try my best and give my teammates the best I’ve had,” said senior first baseman Blake Dean in a news release. “We just fell short this year.” LSU started the season with a hot 32-6 record.The Tigers cooled off toward the end of the season with a 4-14 slump to wrap up the regular season.LSU went back to early season form in the Southeastern Conference tournament. The Tigers swept their four games against Florida, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Alabama en route to their third consecutive tourney title.But the Tigers’ run at a repeat national championship was stymied by the tough pitching and bats of two West Coast teams.LSU will lose seniors Paul Bertuccini, Dean and Gaudet.Juniors Micah Gibbs, Landry and Ranaudo are expected to depart LSU for the pros after the MLB draft, which began Monday night.”Our season is over but the hardest thing for me personally is knowing that it’s the last time that I’m going to get to coach kids like [Dean and Landry],” Mainieri said. “It’s always hard for a coach when you love kids and you have to say goodbye to them.”
 
 
 
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