BATON ROUGE — Wally Pontiff’s RBI single scored Billy McBride to cap a three-run seventh as LSU rallied from a 4-0 deficit and went on to a 7-4 victory over Southeastern Louisiana Tuesday night at Alex Box Stadium.
The win was the 17th straight for the Tigers over the Lions, who were bidding for their first victory over LSU since a 15-2 triumph on April 24, 1991, which was 10 years ago to the date of this game.
The Tigers (#3 Collegiate Baseball, #5 Baseball America and Baseball Weekly) will be in action again on Thursday when they open an eight-game road trip at Louisiana-Monroe at 6:30 p.m. This will be a make-up of a game originally scheduled for March 28, but was postponed by rain.
LSU (31-13-1, 14-7 SEC) will then travel to Tuscaloosa to open a three-game series with Alabama. The Tigers are tied for first in the SEC with Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
Zeph Zinsman drew a walk to start the seventh, and Johnnie Thibodeaux’s double high off the left-center field fence moved Zinsman to third. Aaron Hill then slapped a two-run single through the right side of the Lion infield to bring home the runners and tie the game.
Lion pitcher Mark Weinmunson (2-4), who allowed the Tigers just one earned run over the first six innings, retired Ryan Theriot on a foul ball, but an errant pickoff throw by Aaron Lowe in a rundown allowed pinch runner Billy McBride to reach second.
Weinmunson struck out Fontenot, but McBride stole third on strike three, then he came home when Pontiff went the opposite way through the left side of the Lion infield to plate the go-ahead run.
The Tigers would add insurance runs in the eighth when David Raymer drew a bases-loaded walk and Theriot lifted a sacrifice fly to right field.
For most of the game, the Lions (20-30) outplayed the Tigers, grabbing a 4-0 lead in the fourth with the help of a leadoff home run byu Anthony Krajancic and a throwing error by Heath on an attempted pickoff at third, allowing two more Lions to cross.
LSU finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Todd Linden his team-leading 13th home run, then pulled to within 4-2 in the sixth on a wild pitch that scored Heath.
SLU grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third. Preston Hayes led off with a single, and Steve Labbe’s bunt sacrificed Hayes to second. After Matt Rogelstad struck out, Joey Duhe lined another single through the Tiger infield to bring Hayes home.
LSU reliever Roy Corcoran (6-3) went 4 2/3 innings to earn the victory, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out seven as he held the Lions in check. Tiger ace Lane Mestepey fanned Duhe for the final out to earn his first career save.