HOUSTON — Second-ranked LSU swept past Houston by scores of 11-5 and 8-1 in a doubleheader Sunday to secure the series over UH at Cougar Field.
The Tigers (9-1) snapped a two-game losing skid at Houston, dating back to 2002. The Cougars (3-8) dropped their fourth and fifth contests in their past six games, despite taking Game 1 on Friday night by a score of 2-1.
LSU tallied 19 runs on 22 hits on Sunday, led by junior right fielder Ryan Patterson, who was 5-for-9 on the day, including a pair of homers, five RBI and six runs scored.
The Tigers’ four-game road trip concludes on Wednesday as LSU travels to Shreveport to face Centenary at 7 p.m. from Fair Grounds Field.
GAME 1: LSU 11, HOUSTON 5
After being stymied by Houston pitching in its first loss of the season on Friday night, No. 2 LSU exploded for eight runs on nine hits through the first three innings and never looked back, defeating the Cougars, 11-5, in the first game of a doubleheader at Cougar Field on Sunday afternoon.
After managing only six hits on Friday, LSU scored in each of the first three innings, surpassing Friday night’s hit tally in the third inning. Ideal scoring conditions, including a steady wind out to right field aided both teams after crosswinds played havoc with fly balls on Friday night.
Left fielder Ryan Patterson, a native of Rowlett, Texas, tied a career high with four hits, producing four runs and two RBI on a homer in the third.
Sophomore southpaw Clay Dirks (3-0) settled down after shaky start to register his third win, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits, walking two and striking out five.
Hard-throwing right-hander Brad Lincoln (0-2) suffered the loss and was touched for eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits in just 2.2 innings.
LSU jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with one of their patented two-out first innings. Houston native Nick Stavinoha delivered an RBI single, and then a Cougar fielding error by third baseman Kevin Roberts brought in Clay Harris on his brother Will’s groundball.
The favorable wind diminished the 2-0 lead quickly. Right fielder Travis Tully laced a two-run homer over the right field wall, also scoring Jake Stewart who drew a leadoff walk.
Another two-run, two-out rally in the second gave the Tigers the lead again. Singles up the middle by Bruce Sprowl, Patterson and Blake Gill made it a 3-2 contest.
Gill, who saw his 20-game hitting streak come to an end on Friday night, collected his fifth RBI of the season. Patterson would come into score the second run on a wild pitch.
Dirks labored into the third, surrendering a single and consecutive doubles, which cut the score to 4-3. Stewart, who had both of Houston’s RBI in Game 1, knocked in his third run of the series on his double down the left field line.
LSU broke the game open in the third, sending Lincoln to an early exit. Will Harris collected a solo homer, his first of the season, and J.P Padron, a native of nearby League City, added an RBI infield single.
But the clutch hit came from the preseason All-American Patterson. Patterson, playing in front of several family members and friends, blasted a two-out, two-run homer down the left field line to cap the four-run, four hit third. LSU led 8-3.
Lincoln yielded to right-handed reliever Austin Summerlin, who fought through a bases loaded jam in the sixth, striking out the side after allowing a run-scoring walk to Dustin Weaver.
The Tigers added a punctuation mark in their final at-bat, posting two runs, including their sixth two-out run on Stavinoha’s sharp single to left for his second RBI of the game.
Eric English pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless relief, giving way to Chase Dardar in the ninth.
The Cougars did not go quietly, loading the bases with no outs in their half of the ninth. Kori Williams added an RBI single, but Dardar fanned the side to preserve an 11-5 victory.
GAME 2: LSU 8, HOUSTON 1
Junior left-hander Greg Smith tossed the most impressive performance of his career, working seven strong innings to lead LSU past Houston, 8-1, in the night-cap of a doubleheader at Cougar Field on Sunday.
Smith (3-0) was masterful, limiting the Cougars to one run on just five hits. The Alexandria, La. native walked three and struck out six, while his seven-inning outing was a career high.
Left fielder Ryan Patterson delivered a three-run homer, while centerfielder Bruce Sprowl and shortstop Michael Hollander added two hits apiece.
Four Tigers touched home in the second, all unearned courtesy of third baseman Kevin Roberts’ third error of the day. Will Harris came into score when Roberts’ errant throw caromed off of the backstop on J.P. Padron’s fielder’s choice groundball.
Patterson continued his hot-hitting day, smashing a three-run homer deep into left to almost the identical spot where his first game blast landed. Again, the Tigers added to their two-out run tally.
Clay Harris got into the homer act in the third, sending a tape -measure shot to left for his second of the season, giving LSU a comfortable 5-0 advantage. After Will Harris’ two-out walk and Hollander’s second hit of the day, the Tigers sent a Cougar starter to an early exit for the second consecutive game.
Right-hander Gene Flores left and gave way to freshman Ricky Hargrove after allowing five runs (one earned) on four hits in just a 2.2 inning stint. With the potential to add more runs, Hargrove set down Padron on strikes and escaped any further damage.
A costly error by LSU allowed Houston to get on the board in the third. With one out and a runner at first, Smith fielded a tailor-made double-play groundball but was unable to grasp it from his glove, allowing runners to move safely to second and first.
Then, Jake Stewart made the Tigers pay once again, sending an RBI double into right. After Hollander hesitated on a groundball from Travis Tully, the bases were loaded.
Clay Harris made the play of the game to end the inning when the tall second baseman reached into the air and grabbed Roberts’ liner. Harris immediately flipped over to second to record a double play, which swung the momentum of the game.
LSU then extended the lead to 8-1 with a three-run fourth as the Cougars blunders continued. Blake Gill and Matt Liuzza added RBI singles, and Clay Harris came into score on a wild pitch, putting the game out of reach.
In his final two innings, Smith cruised and punched out the side in order in the sixth and seventh.
Hargrove was equally efficient, quieting the Tiger bats the rest of the way.
Justin Meier then relieved Smith and picked up where he left off, dominating the eighth and ninth. Meier, who closed games in the Cape Cod League this summer, fanned four of the seven batters he faced.
LSU 11, Houston 5 (Feb 27, 2005 at Houston, Texas)
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LSU………………..224 001 002 – 11 14 1 (8-1)
Houston…………. 210 001 001 – 5 12 2 (3-7)
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Pitchers: LSU – Dirks; English(6); Dardar(9). Houston – Lincoln; Sumerlin(3); McLemore(7); Wright(8); Glos(9).
Win-Dirks(3-0) Loss-Lincoln(0-2) T-3:27 A-2785
HR LSU – Patterson (1); Harris, W. (1).
HR UH – Tully, T. (2).
LSU 8, Houston 1 (Feb 27, 2005 at Houston, Texas)
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LSU………………. 041 300 000 – 8 8 1 (9-1)
Houston…………. 001 000 000 – 1 5 4 (3-8)
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Pitchers: LSU – Smith; Meier(8). Houston – Flores; Hargrove(3); Brown(8).
Win-Smith(3-0) Loss-Flores(0-3) T-2:55 A-2651
HR LSU – Patterson (2); Harris, C. (2).