METAIRIE, La. — The University of New Orleans broke an 10-game losing streak to LSU as the Privateers rallied from two deficits before claiming a 5-4 victory on Tuesday night at Zephyr Field on Drew Pizza’s RBI single in the bottom of the ninth.
LSU (16-8-1), the leaders of the Southeastern Conference at 5-0-1, return to conference play on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Alabama.
UNO (15-12) got a one-out single from Mike Sanchez, and then a passed ball by LSU catcher Matt Liuzza moved pinch runner Josh Jones to second. Pizza then lined a shot down the right field line off of Tiger reliever Jake Tompkins past the dive of Tiger first baseman Clay Harris to score the winning run.
Privateer pitcher J.P. Martinez gave up just one run on four hits in 5 2/3 innings to improve to 4-0 on the year. Martinez was in the LSU program in 2001 and 2002 but did not see any game action for the Tigers.
LSU broke a 3-3 deadlock in the top of the seventh when Blake Gill grounded a one-out single through the right side of the UNO infield to score J.C. Holt, who led off the inning with a single. Aaron Hill followed with a walk before Ivan Naccarata hit into a fielder’s choice, although the Privateers missed a chance at a double play when Justin Guy’s relay throw from second was in the dirt.
The Tiger lead wouldn’t last, as Baton Rouge native Michael Forbes launched his first career home run at UNO, a blast over the left-field fence to knot the score at 4-4.
The Tigers grabbed a 3-0 lead in the fourth on a pair of solo home runs. The first was a leadoff shot by Harris over the left field fence, with a mammoth blow from Jon Zeringue coming two batters later. Zeringue’s blast traveled an estimated 450 feet well beyond the left-center field fence in the deepest part of the park. It marked the second time in the last three games in that LSU has homered twice in the same inning in the last four games after failing to do so in its first 21 games.
The Privateers got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Chris Adams lined a one-out double into the left center field gap to score Joe Pietro before UNO tied the game with a pair of unearned runs in the fifth.
The runs were set up when Harris booted Forbes’ slow roller to first base, leaving Pizza, who led off with a single, safe at second. Rohde hit into a double play one batter later, but Pizza would score on Austin Wasserman’s single to cut the LSU lead to 3-2 before Pietro tripled to left field past the dive of LSU’s Ryan Patterson to allow Wasserman to come home from first to tie the game at 3-3.
LSU took a 1-0 lead in the second on an infield single by Zeringue that scored Gill, who led off the inning with an infield hit and went to second on a passed ball. The Tigers had an opportunity to score more runs, but Brad Domreis made a diving stab of Liuzza’s sinking line drive.
Tompkins, who notched the save in the Tigers’ series finale at Georgia on Sunday, fell to 0-3 on the year.
LSU (16-8-1) 010 200 100– 4 10 1
UNO (15-12). 000 120 101– 5 10 0
Justin Meier, Jake Tompkins (8) and Matt Liuzza; Brandon Kling, J.P. Martinez (4) and Mike Nuckles.
WP–Martinez, 4-0.
LP–Tompkins, 0-3.
2B–LSU: Ryan Patterson (6), Aaron Hill (9); UNO: Chris Adams (3).
3B–UNO: Joe Pietro (2)
HR–LSU: Clay Harris (3), Jon Zeringue (3); UNO: Michael Forbes (1).
T–3:05.
A–3,126.