METAIRIE, La. — The New Orleans Zephyrs broke open a close game with six runs in the sixth and seventh innings to defeat LSU, 8-3 on Wednesday night at Zephyr Field in an exhibition game.
The Fighting Tigers (18-12, 3-5 Southeastern Conference) return to league action Friday night at 6:30 p.m. when they visit Auburn (23-8, 5-4) in the first of a three-game series. Auburn defeated South Alabama 6-1 on Wednesday in Mobile, but dropped the final two games of its SEC series last weekend at Florida.
The Tigers committed six errors in the game, five of which came in the sixth and seventh innings.
Leading 2-1 in the sixth, the Z’s started to pull away when Dave Matranga scored on an error by Aaron Hill, whose relay throw to try to nail Matranga at third went into the dugout. Colin Porter then reached on a Rocky Scelfo error, and then a throwing error by Wally Pontiff on Tripp Cromer’s ground ball put runners on second and third.
Barry Wesson walked to load the bases, then Raul Chavez lined a two-run single off of LSU hurler Billy Brian to extend the New Orleans lead to 5-1.
Brian was making his first appearance in any game since last year’s regional against VCU, as he has been battling arm injuries.
Clay Harris struck out Matranga and Alan Zinter in the seventh, but Brad David could not get the third out, as he gave up an RBI doubles to Porter and Cromer which had been set up when Matt Heath dropped Mike Murphy’s fly ball earlier in the inning.
The Tigers got their first run of the game in the fifth on a single by Darren Welch, who was starting at catcher in place of Chris Phillips. LSU added two runs in the ninth on a single by Heath and an RBI groundout by Blake Gill.
Heath had three of the Tigers’ six hits, all as a right-handed batter, where Heath is batting just .175 this year.
LSU used six pitchers in the game. David Shank, who has thrown in just two games and 1 2/3 innings in his career, allowed three hits and two runs (one earned) in three innings and got the loss. However, Shank settled down after a shaky start, retiring the final seven batters he faced. Lukas Guidroz added two scoreless innings of relief, and Justin Hill pitched a scoreless eighth in his first action this season.
The Zephyrs’ Jeriome Robertson limited the Tigers to three hits and one unearned run over six innings to pick up the win. New Orleans opens defense of its Pacific Coast League title Thursday at 7:05 p.m. against the Iowa Cubs in Des Moines.