AUBURN, Ala. — Aaron Hill, Sean Barker and Chris Phillips each collected three hits as LSU ran out to an 8-0 lead through three innings, then held off a late Auburn charge for an 9-4 Southeastern Conference victory Friday night before a record crowd of 4,491.
LSU (19-12, 4-5) is now on a three-game winning streak for the first time since sweeping Louisiana-Monroe March 8-10. LSU needs one more win in the next two games to win its first conference series since sweeping Alabama last April.
Another sellout crowd is expected for Saturday’s 3 p.m. contest, which will be part of A-Day festivities, which are highlighted by the Auburn spring football game at 1 p.m.
Auburn (23-9, 5-5) scored its only run in the first six innings on Jonathan Schuerholz’ RBI single in the fourth, but the Tigers of the Plains appeared ready to wipe away LSU’s big lead in the seventh.
Schuerholz’ infield hit and a subsequent throwing error by J.C. Holt put a runner on second to start the Auburn seventh.
Lane Mestepey struck out Doug Vines for the first out, but Hill then booted Bobby Huddleston’s ground ball as Schuerholz moved to third, and Trent Pratt’s single scored Schuerholz to make it 8-2.
Scott Schade’s single loaded the bases, but Mestepey got Tug Hulett to hit into a force play that cut down Huddleston at the plate for the second out. Sean Gamble would then single home Pratt and Schade to cut the LSU edge to 8-4 and drive Mestepey from the game.
LSU reliever Jake Tompkins finally put out the fire by getting Chuck Jeroloman to hit into a force play for the final out of the frame.
Auburn had another chance to pare the LSU margin with two runners in scoring position with one out in the eighth, but Tompkins again navigated the waters by getting Huddleston to foul out to first and striking out Pratt. Tompkins then worked a 1-2-3 ninth to close the game.
Mestepey improved to 6-2, giving up four runs (two earned) on 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings. Tompkins was not eligible for a save, as he did not enter with the tying run on deck.
LSU scored its eight runs in just over two innings off of Auburn starting pitcher Levale Speigner (6-3), who failed to last six innings in a starting role for the first time this year.
Hill’s one-out double led to LSU’s run in the first, as an infield single by Barker moved Hill to third, and the LSU shortstop came home on Matt Heath’s base hit.
Phillips gave LSU a 3-0 lead in the second with his two-run homer into the LSU bullpen in right-center field, the first career home run in SEC competition for Phillips, and his first since March 5 against Tulane.
A single by Barker and a double by Heath got the Tigers rolling to a five-run third inning, as Blake Gill’s single scored Barker and Jason Vargas’ sacrifice fly plated Heath for a 5-0 lead.
David Raymer’s RBI double scored Gill, then Phillips plated Raymer with a base hit to drive Speigner from the game. Auburn reliever Andrew Skinner struck out Holt, but then Hill tripled off the wall in center field to score Phillips to give LSU an unlikely 8-0 lead, the most runs LSU has scored in an SEC game this year.
For the second time in a week, Hill fell just short of a cycle, missing this time by a home run. Hill now is batting .500 (19-for-38) in SEC games and is on an 8-game hitting streak.