GAINESVILLE, Fla. — After LSU broke out to a 5-0 lead, Florida reliever Joey Simon silenced the Tigers’ bats over the final five innings to give the Gators a 7-5 victory in the series finale Sunday in Gainesville, Fla.
With the win, Florida avoided its first sweep by the Tigers since 1986, as LSU won a doubleheader on Saturday, 10-4 and 9-6.
Reliever Trey Hodges pitched 2 2/3 innings and gave up the lead in the seventh inning on three singles. He fell to 2-2 on the season.
Joey Simon improved to 7-2 on the season and won his sixth straight after pitching 5 1/3 innings of scoreless, two-hit relief.
LSU fell to 29-11 on the season including 12-5 in Southeastern Conference play. It’s nine-game winning streak was broken with the loss. Florida improved to 10-7-1 in league play.
LSU benefited from a leadoff walk in the first inning before Brad Cresse launched a no-doubt home run over the left field fence to give the Tigers an early 2-0 lead.
On the other side of the frame, LSU starter Jason Scobie, who was starting his first game as a Tiger in his eighth appearance, allowed only one hit in his first three innings of work while striking out three.
The Tigers got on the board again in the fifth to drive Florida starter Craig Mosher from the game. With two outs in the inning, Jeremy Witten hit an RBI single to score Cedrick Harris from second base. After catcher Ryan Jorgensen walked, both he and Witten would score on a double down the left field line by Johnnie Thibideaux.
Joey Simon came in to get the final out and silence the LSU batters. He only allowed one Tiger hit, a single to Wally Pontiff in the sixth, over the next four innings.
Florida would answer with four runs of its own in the bottom of the fourth, again, driving the starter (Scobie) from the game. Scobie allowed four consecutive hits to the heart of the Florida lineup — a single, double, single and a three-run home run by Tim Olson — and hit a batter before getting the second out of the inning. Shane Youman would enter and strikeout Kevin Estrada to end the inning.
After Youman began the fifth with two walks, Trey Hodges entered the game and allowed an RBI single to Jason Dill, tying the game at 5-5.
In the bottom of the seventh, Florida took the lead off of Hodges after back-to-back singles by Kurt Keene and Dill. For Dill, it was his fourth hit in as many at bats. With runners on first and third and one out, Peter Nystrom grounded into a fielder’s choice and beat out a throw at first to avoid the double play and score Keene from third. After another single by Olson, the third in the inning off Hodges, Tim Nugent came in relief. Nugent walked Tony Socarrus before forcing Sobieraj flew out to right to end the inning.
In the Florida eighth inning, Nugent allowed a double to open the inning before getting Mark Kiger to ground out to third. Weylin Guidry would come in and get the second out before allowing an RBI single by Keene to give the Gators a 7-5 lead.
In the Tiger ninth, Pontiff earned his second single off of Simon and was pinch run for by Victor Brumfield. Witten would then ground into a fielder’s choice for the first out before Jeff Lipari grounded into a double play to end the game.
LSU returns to action Tuesday night in Alex Box Stadium for a 7 p.m. game against Louisiana-Monroe.