Baseball: UL falls to LSU 6-3 in final game of Super Regional

Trey Labat, The Advertiser, June 7, 2015

 

UL Ragin’ Cajuns infielder Blake Trahan (4) expresses dejection after hitting the final out of an NCAA Super Regional game to give the LSU Tigers a 6-3 victory at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., Sunday, June 7, 2015. The LSU Tigers capture the NCAA Super Regional championship and advance to the College World Series in Omaha, NE.(Photo: Paul Kieu, The Advertiser)

 

It took a while, but the LSU bats woke up in the late innings as the No. 2 national seed advanced to the College World Series with a 6-3 win over its in-state rivals University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Cajuns freshman southpaw Gunner Leger dominated the Tigers normally stout offensive lineup through six innings, but LSU catcher Kade Scivicque launched a solo home run in top of the seventh to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.

Leger escaped any further damage in the seventh, but was roughed up in the eighth as the Tigers scored two runs on a two-RBI single by LSU shortstop Alex Bregman.

Leger was replaced by Cajuns’ closer Dylan Moore after the hit and finished the night with 7.2 innings pitched, five hits, and four earned runs with four strikeouts.

Moore didn’t fare any better for the Cajuns, walking LSU catcher Kade Scivicque and allowing a Conner Hale triple to right field to plate two runs and extending the Tigers lead to 5-0.

The Cajuns attempted to rally in the ensuing half-inning, with right fielder Dylan Butler leading off the inning with a double down the left field line.

Butler advanced to third on a Joe Robbins single and was plated by a Kyle Clement fielder’s choice. LSU reliever Russell Reynolds replaced Poche after giving up the run, but struggled with his command before being replaced by Zac Person who recorded the last out of the inning.

Poche finished with 7.2 innings pitched having given up five hits and one earned run while striking out seven batters in the process.

LSU added an insurance run in the ninth, with Mark Laird driving in Chris Sciambra with an RBI-single to give the Tigers a 6-1 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth.

Evan Powell led of the frame with a sharply hit single into left field, and Kennon Fontenot came on to pinch-hit for catcher Nick Thurman and promptly tripled off the right field wall to score Powell.

LSU replaced Person with sophomore right-hander Parker Bugg after the Fontenot triple.

Dylan Butler gave the Tigers a scare in the next at-bat, but Laird tracked down his swing on the warning track, but the swing scored Fontenot from third.

But Trahan flew out on the next pitch and the contest was over.

Both offenses were cold throughout much of the affair, combining for only four hits through the first six innings.

The Cajuns went 2-12 with runners in scoring position, missing a couple of early opportunities to score runs on Poche and put pressure on the Tiger hitters.

LSU advances to Omaha and the College for the 17^th time in school history, and will face the winner of Texas A&M and TCU in its first game in Omaha on June 14.