COLUMBIA, S.C. — Chris Plummer’s two-run home run in the fifth and three scoreless innings of relief by Lee Gronkiewicz carried seventh-ranked South Carolina past LSU, 5-3, to wrap up a three-game Southeastern Conference series Sunday afternoon at Sarge Frye Field.
Fourth-ranked LSU (24-9-1, 10-5) remains in a first-place tie in the SEC standings with Ole Miss (25-10-1, 10-5), which lost today at Arkansas. The Rebels visit the Tigers next weekend in a pivotal three-game series at Alex Box Stadium.
The Tigers travel to Metairie for a pair of mid-week games at Zephyr Field with Louisiana-Lafayette on Tuesday and Tulane on Wednesday, with both games beginning at 7 p.m.
Today’s contest marked the third consecutive Sunday in which the Tigers came in with a chance for a three-game sweep but failed to do so, having lost the previous two Sundays at Mississippi State and Kentucky.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth. South Carolina took advantage of a wild pickoff throw by LSU starting pitcher Brian Wilson to put runners on second and third, and Tim Whittaker’s sacrifice fly scored Drew Meyer with the game’s first run.
LSU tied the game in the top of the fifth on Ryan Theriot’s sacrifice fly, but Wilson got into further trouble in the bottom of the frame when he yielded a leadoff home run to Byron Jeffcoat, then gave up Plummer’s home run three batters later to end his day. Wilson fell to 1-2 as he yielded four runs (three earned) in 4 2/3 innings just five days after pitching six shutout innings against New Orleans.
LSU got its only other run in the sixth when Todd Linden lined a pinch-hit double into right to score Bryan Moore.
Gronkiewicz allowed just one hit to earn his seventh save of the season, retiring the final seven Tiger hitters in order.