METAIRIE, La. — Tulane’s Jon Kaplan broke out of a 1-for-21 slump with an RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning as the Green Wave overcame a 4-0 deficit to defeat LSU, 5-4, in front of a crowd of 10,870 on Tuesday night at Zephyr Field.
LSU (11-7) will open its 30-game Southeastern Conference schedule on Friday at 6:30 p.m. against Florida in the first game of a three-game set. The series continues at 2 p.m. Saturday and 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
The Tigers embark on an eight-game road trip following the Florida series, beginning next Tuesday at cross-town rival Southern.
Gerald Clark and Turner Brumby drew one-out walks from LSU reliever Billy Sadler (1-1) before Kaplan grounded a full-count pitch up the middle into short center field. LSU center fielder J.C. Holt’s throw was up the line, but pinch runner Wes Swackhammer slid past home plate, and LSU catcher Dustin Weaver had a chance to tag Swackhammer out. But Weaver dropped the ball trying to make the tag.
Tulane (14-4) took advantage of nine LSU walks from four pitchers despite being out-hit, 11-6. Kaplan was one of only three Green Wave players with hits, as Tommy Manzella went 3-for-5 and Michael Aubrey was 2-for-5.
LSU loaded the bases in the top of the 10th with one out on walks to Ivan Naccarata and Clay Harris sandwiching an infield hit by Blake Gill. But Green Wave relief ace Joey Charron escaped harm by inducing Bruce Sprowl to hit into a fielder’s choice grounder on which Manzella threw out Naccarata at the plate before Dustin Weaver popped up behind third base to end the inning.
LSU (No. 16 Baseball America, No. 18 Collegiate Baseball, No. 25 ESPN/USA Today) entered the bottom of the sixth inning with a 4-0 lead behind the solid pitching of freshman right-hander Justin Meier, who appeared on his way to his fourth consecutive victory after allowing Tulane just three hits in the first five innings and working out of a bases loaded jam in the second.
Meier allowed only one hit in the third through fifth innings and faced the minimum number of batters in those frames before the Green Wave made its move in the sixth. With one out, Aubrey singled and Brian Bogusevic walked to bring up Manzella, who hit what appeared to be a double play ground ball to LSU shortstop Aaron Hill. But Hill kicked the ball when he went to pick it up and throw to second, leaving the bases loaded.
Meier retired pinch hitter Aaron Feldman on a foul pop-up, but Brian Bormaster worked a 10-pitch walk to score Aubrey, the final batter Meier faced.
After going exactly five innings in each of his first three starts, Meier threw 102 pitches in 5 2/3 innings, giving up four hits and four walks while tying a season high for strikeouts with five.
Reliever Nate Bumstead threw seven consecutive balls, four to Gerald Clark to force in Bogusevic, and then three more to pinch hitter Turner Brumby before Greg Smith came in to replace Bumstead with a 3-0 count on Brumby.
Smith completed the four-pitch walk, which was charged to Bumstead, to score Manzella and cut the LSU lead to 4-3. Smith fell behind Jon Kaplan 3-1 before throwing a strike and retiring Kaplan on a ground ball to Naccarata at third base.
Bogusevic drew a two-out walk in the seventh from Smith before scoring the tying run on a double by Manzella, as Bogusevic got his right hand underneath the tag of LSU catcher Dustin Weaver.
Tulane starting pitcher Matt Goebel retired the entire Tiger lineup in order over the first three innings with three strikeouts before LSU got untracked in the fourth.
Holt and Quinn Stewart started it with back-to-back singles to center field, and Hill drew a one-out walk to load the bases before Blake Gill’s sacrifice fly sent Holt home from third for a 1-0 lead.
Goebel retired the first two batters of the fifth but gave up a two-out double to number nine hitter Ryan Patterson, and Holt cashed in the opportunity with his second hit in as many innings to second Patterson home for a 2-0 Tiger lead.
Naccarata led off the sixth with a single to the opposite field in left, extending his hitting streak to 15 games, then stole second with Hill at the plate. Hill took advantage of the steal by promptly grounding a base hit through the left side of the Tulane infield to increase the LSU lead to 3-0.
Clay Harris’ two-out double led to the Tigers’ second run of the sixth inning on an RBI single by Bruce Sprowl. But had Hill not been picked off of first after his hit, the Tigers would have had at least one more run.
Stewart was 2-for-6 and Sprowl 2-for-5 to lead LSU at the plate.
The Tigers would not score over the final five innings, thanks in large part to the exploits of Charron, who struck out four in 4 1/3 innings to earn improve to 1-2.
LSU 000 112 000 00– 4 11 1
Tulane 000 003 100 01– 5 6 0
Justin Meier, Nate Bumstead (6), Greg Smith (6), Billy Sadler (7) and Dustin Weaver; Matt Goebel, Tyler Kimmons (6), Joey Charron (7) and Brian Bormaster.
WP–Charron, 1-2.
LP–Sadler, 1-1.
2B–LSU: Ryan Patterson (5), Clay Harris (3); Tulane: Michael Aubrey (7), Tommy Manzella (7).
T–4:02.
A–10,780.