If anything has given the Tigers trouble this season offensively, it has been southpaw pitching, as the Tigers were 12-10 against left handers heading into Friday night’s matchup against Florida. LSU put to rest any doubt about their troubles against lefties, knocking around Florida southpaw Stephen Locke for nine runs on 12 hits in 5 1/3 innings en route to a 10-1 victory against No. 9 UF (34-16, 16-9) in front of 9,030 fans in Alex Box Stadium.With the victory, the Tigers took sole possession of first place in the Southeastern Conference. ”We played pretty well in every phase of the game tonight,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “But it’s only one game. We still have two more.”Junior designated hitter Blake Dean and sophomore second baseman DJ LeMahieu led the offensive charge for the Tigers, going a combined 5-for-8 with two home runs, seven RBI, and four runs scored. Dean cracked his 12th homer of the season, a line shot over the right field fence, that scored freshman center fielder Mikie Mahtook to give LSU the 6-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. LeMahieu hit his first SEC home run of the season – his fourth overall – two innings later, a three-run shot to left field, to put the Tigers ahead, 10-1.”Mainieri told us to key in on a first pitch fastball, and if we didn’t hit it to go for a second pitch changeup,” LeMahieu said. “That’s exactly what I did.” The No. 3 Tigers (37-13, 17-8) got into trouble early in both the first and second innings when sophomore pitcher Anthony Ranaudo put runners in scoring position in both innings. However, the sophomore got out of the jam in the first by getting second baseman Josh Adams to ground into a double play with runners on the corners and in the second by striking out left fielder Avery Barnes with the bases loaded.Ranaudo finished the night going seven innings, giving up six hits and one earned run, while striking out seven and walking three. ”I didn’t have my best stuff,” Ranaudo said. “My command wasn’t there.… But the bats came alive and took some of the pressure off me.” LSU threatened in the bottom of the second with runners on second and third and no outs, but Locke got the next two batters to strike out. The southpaw then intentionally walked sophomore catcher Micah Gibbs to get to freshman shortstop Austin Nola. The move paid off, as Locke got Nola go ground into a fielder’s choice.The Tigers got on the board in the bottom of the third thanks to a groundout to first by junior designated hitter Blake Dean that scored Mahtook. They added onto that lead with a two out double by junior first baseman Sean Ochinko that scored sophomore second baseman DJ LeMahieu. Freshman third baseman Tyler Hanover was thrown out at home on the play for the final out of the inning. In the bottom of the fourth, LSU took a 4-0 lead on a single Mahtook that scored Gibbs and junior right fielder Jared Mitchell due to an error by the UF left fielder that allowed Mahtook to advance all the way to third. The Gators got on the board in the top of the fifth when first baseman Preston Tucker grounded out to shortstop to score right fielder Jonathan Pigott.LSU senior Louis Coleman will take the mound for the Tigers tomorrow against UF in the second game of the three game weekend series.  To read Andy’s blog from the game, click here.
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