GAME BLOG: UNO 7, LSU 4 (final)

Lineups, notes, updates from April 27 game

By CARL DUBOIS
Tiger Rag Associate Editor

After losing three of five games in a week during which LSU scored 45 runs, the Tigers found another way to lose tonight. The UNO Privateers extended LSU’s losing streak to four games with a 7-4 victory against the Tigers at Alex Box Stadium.

LSU coach Paul Mainieri and some of his players said the Tigers didn’t play hard enough against UNO. Nobody could put their finger on the reasons, but Mainieri said he’ll make sure LSU shows better effort in a Wednesday practice before the Tigers leave for a weekend series at Florida.

Nick Schwaner hit a home run for UNO, his 15th of the season. He was one of six Privateers with at least two hits. Rodarrick Jones was 3-for-4 with three RBIs.

UNO (11-29) gave LSU (32-10) its first loss in a midweek game since Nicholls State’s 3-1 victory against the Tigers at the Box on April 15, 2009. The four-game losing streak is LSU’s first since it lost five consecutive games, ending with a sweep at Tennessee, in March 2008.

Daniel Bradshaw pitched one out into the sixth inning and held UNO to two earned runs (a third run was unearned) on seven hits and a walk. He struck out five. The first and last LSU relief pitchers in the game held UNO scoreless, but Jordan Rittiner (4-3) gave up a double to the only batter he faced, and Austin Ross let that runner score and three of his own.

The Tigers were outhit 14-10 and left 11 runners on base.

Linescore

UNO: 7 runs, 14 hits, 0 errors.
LSU: 4 runs, 10 hits, 2 errors.

Boxscore

CLICK HERE for a PDF of the boxscore.

Quotable

“It’s my job to motivate them and inspire them and get them to care enough that they’ll put forth the effort. For some reason, they didn’t respond to me. It’s a long season, 56 games … these things happen once in a while. When it happens, it leaves a very bitter feeling, but I’ll have to evaluate what we’ll have to do to inspire them to play a little bit harder, give a little bit more effort in the future.”

– Mainieri on LSU’s effort not being what he expects from his team

“We’re going to put in the work tomorrow. I can promise you that.”

– Mainieri

Audio

CLICK HERE to hear Blake Dean talking about how to work through a losing streak, and saying the Tigers didn’t play hard enough against UNO.

CLICK HERE to listen to Mikie Mahtook on both subjects and more.

CLICK HERE to hear Bradshaw evaluate his pitching performance and compare it to his start a week earlier against Northwestern State in Shreveport, a 14-3 LSU victory.

CLICK HERE to listen to Mainieri talk about how the game got away from the Tigers after a 3-2 lead through second innings, plus two errors that hurt late in the game.

CLICK HERE for more from Mainieri, including the decision to bring Ross out for the ninth inning, when UNO got back-to-back hits to start the inning and scored two runs against Ross. This file also contains the quote about getting the team to play harder.

Scorebook

CLICK HERE for a PDF of my scorebook pages, which appear below in image-only format.

Meanwhile, here is how the game unfolded on the blog inning by inning, beginning with pregame starting lineups:

Recap

It’s the LSU Tigers and UNO Privateers at Alex Box Stadium in the second-to-last midweek game of the season at Alex Box Stadium. LSU will play a week from now against Southeastern Louisiana at the Box, and the only other scheduled midweek game is May 18 at Tulane.

The Tigers will be in Gainesville this weekend for a three-game SEC series against the Florida Gators.

LSU has a three-game losing streak, as I’m sure you know. The Tigers haven’t lost a midweek game this season, though, an encouraging thought for fans who would like to see LSU end the losing streak and return to winning ways tonight here at the Box.

Let’s get right to it, because I’m on an early segment of Tiger Rag Radio (6-8 p.m. CDT) before the game.

The lineups:

UNO (10-29)
Ryan Eden, rf
Mike Petello, cf
Nick Schwaner, 2b
Jerad Comarda, 1b
Nolan Church, dh
Kevin Berry, 3b
Tyler Sanford, c
Rodarrick Jones, lf
John Thomas, ss
Sophomore right-hander Joe Zimmerman (0-5, 9.42) is the starting pitcher.

LSU (32-9)
Mikie Mahtook, rf
Austin Nola, ss
Blake Dean, 1b
Micah Gibbs, c
Leon Landry, cf
Matt Gaudet, dh
Tyler Hanover, 2b
Alex Edward, lf
Grant Dozar, 3b
Junior right-hander Daniel Bradshaw (5-0, 4.71) is the starting pitcher.

Umpires

HP: David Schexnaydre
1B: Ray Miller
3B: Paul Guillie

Game-time conditions: 74 degrees, 25 percent humidity, northwest winds at 5 mph.

First pitch is around the corner.

TOP OF THE FIRST

Ryan Eden (Slidell) leads off for the Privateers and takes a strike at 6:32 p.m. and is out five pitches later on a soft pop-up to Hanover between the mound and second base. … Mike Petello (Scottsdale, Ariz.) takes a called third strike. … Nick Schwaner (Slidell) is up next. His father, Scott, was a key player on the 1984 UNO team that became the first Louisiana team to play in the College World Series. The Pelican’s Tommy Krysan and I are discussing that right now in the press box. … Strike three swinging. Bradshaw throws 17 pitches in the inning. UNO 0, LSU 0.

BOTTOM OF THE FIRST

Mahtook leads off for the Tigers and is brushed back by a 1-2 pitch high and inside, then is nicked by the next pitch. He steals second base with Nola at the plate. Mahtook is 21-for-27 on stolen bases. … Nola is out on a one-hop grounder back to the mound. Mahtook gets to third base. … Dean grounds out to second base, and Mahtook scores for a 1-0 lead. … Gibbs singles to center field, raising his .413 batting average. … Landry walks, and Gaudet has runners on first and second with two outs. … He forces Landry at second with a fielder’s choice to shortstop. Zimmerman throws 21 pitches in the inning. LSU 1, UNO 0.

TOP OF THE SECOND

Jerad Comarda (Metairie) leads off for UNO and pops up to Nola in shallow left field. … Nolan Church (Gilbert, Ariz.) singles to center field. … Kevin Berry (Metairie) strikes out swinging at the third pitch he sees. … Tyler Sanford (Scottsdale, Ariz.) is plunked on the arm by a pitch. … Rodarrick Jones (St. Gabriel) bats with runners on first and second and two outs. He singles to center field, just a bit on the right side, for a single that ties it at 1 and puts runners on the corners for John Thomas. Thomas grounds out to second base. Bradshaw is at 30 pitches. UNO 1, LSU 1.

BOTTOM OF THE SECOND

Hanover leads off for the Tigers after we hear “Twist and Shout” by the Beatles. I’m sure it’s heretical to Fab Four fans, but I couldn’t help but think of Ferris Bueller at the parade. Speaking of that, I wonder if Cameron Frye ever figured out what to do with his life. … Hanover lines out to second base. He needs to bring a talisman out to the position in the third inning to erase the bad vibe. … Edward bounces out to third base, a nice play by Berry to charge the ball at the line and make the throw. … Dozar doubles down the right-field line. Two-out rally? We’ll see. If I had to pick a batter to keep it going, I’d pick Mahtook, who’s up next. … He doubles down the left-field line, giving LSU a 2-1 lead by driving in Dozar. Nice 1-2 punch there, guys. … Nola gives LSU a 3-1 lead with a single to left. He has now hit safely in 18 of his last 19 games. … Dean is up, and Nola steals second without a throw, almost without being noticed. Dean flies out to left field. Zimmerman is at 45 pitches. LSU 3, UNO 1.

TOP OF THE THIRD

Eden is up for the second time tonight and takes a 3-2 pitch on the outside part of the plate for a called third strike. … Petello did that in the first inning. He’s up again. This time he lines out to Landry in center field. … Schwaner hits his 15th home run of the season, driving it into the right-field bleachers to cut LSU’s lead to 3-2. … Comarda grounds out to shortstop. Bradshaw is at 47 pitches. LSU 3, UNO 2.

BOTTOM OF THE THIRD

Gibbs leads off for the Tigers and draws a walk on a 3-2 pitch. … Landry is out on a grounder back to the mound, and Zimmerman can’t handle it at first but stays with it to throw out Landry at first. Gibbs gets to second. … Gaudet is up. The wind is blowing the flags in center field in from the northwest, just over the batter’s eye, so it’s like a winter-time game in that sense. The wind is definitely not blowing out to left. … Gaudet strikes out, leaving it up to Hanover to drive in Gibbs from third. He got there on a wild pitch while I was telling you about the wind. … Hanover grounds back to the pitcher, who makes another nice recovery and play (this time on a carom to the third-base side) for the third out. He’s at 59 pitches. LSU 3, UNO 2.

TOP OF THE FOURTH

Church leads off for UNO and walks on four pitches. … Berry bunts foul on a 0-1 pitch, then hits into a 6-3 double play. … Sanford reaches on a fielding error by Nola, who’s had a bit of tough luck at shortstop the past week or so. That’s his fifth error in a week. … Jones gets his second RBI of the game with a double to right-center field, barely out of the reach of a diving Mahtook. … It’s tied at 3. … Thomas grounds out to second base. Bradshaw is at 61 pitches. UNO 3, LSU 3.

BOTTOM OF THE FOURTH

Edward leads off for LSU is hit by a 3-2 pitch, the eighth pitch of the at-bat. … Dozar walks. … Mahtook forces Dozar at second base with a ground ball to shortstop that puts runners on the corners for Nola. … He hits into a 4-3 double play, a nice defensive effort by Schwaner. Zimmerman is at 80 pitches. UNO 3, LSU 3.

TOP OF THE FIFTH

Eden leads off for the third time tonight and singles into left field. … He’s caught trying to steal second base despite Petello swinging (and missing) to try to protect him. Petello strikes out swinging at a 1-2 pitch. … Schwaner, who tied the score with a solo home run in the third, is up. Gibbs visits Bradshaw on the mound for a few seconds, then returns behind the plate. … Schwaner lines out to Landry. Obviously, the “Make him fly out to Leon” speech by Gibbs worked. Bradshaw is at 73 pitches. UNO 3, LSU 3.

BOTTOM OF THE FIFTH

Dean leads off for LSU and flies out to right field on the first pitch. … Gibbs fouls out to Berry, the third baseman. … Landry does the same. Zimmerman is at 89 pitches. Quick inning. UNO 3, LSU 3.

TOP OF THE SIXTH

Bradshaw is still on the mound for the Tigers. The last time LSU had a three-game losing streak (followed in the next game by a tie), he was the next LSU pitcher to win at home. That was in April 23, 2008, when he defeated McNeese State 6-0. He, Austin Ross and Anthony Ranaudo pitched a one-hitter. Bradshaw pitched the first six innings, giving up the one hit and striking out six. … He gives up a leadoff single to Comarda here, then gets Church to fly out to left field. Berry doubles Comarda to third, and Paul Mainieri comes out to get Bradshaw. That’s it. Here comes Paul Bertuccini. … Bradshaw gives up three runs (so far) on seven hits and a walk. He struck out five and is responsible for both UNO runners on base in this inning. He threw 80 pitches. … Sanford is the first batter to face Bertuccini tonight. … Tickets sold and distributed: 10,584. Attendance: 4,805. … Sanford flies out to Mahtook in right field, and he guns down Comarda at home plate. As it happened, I thought Gibbs missed the tag, but on watching the replay in the press box, I think he got him in the back. UNO argues, but in vain. UNO 3, LSU 3.

BOTTOM OF THE SIXTH

Gaudet leads off for the Tigers and grounds out to third. … Hanover does the same. … Edward singles into left field, a good ending to a good at-bat. He fouled off two 2-2 pitches before his base hit on the eighth pitch of the at-bat. … Dozar walks. Here comes Mahtook. … He fouls out to the first baseman. I have Zimmerman at 109 pitches. UNO 3, LSU 3.

TOP OF THE SEVENTH

Jones leads off for the Privateers against Bertuccini. Freshman left-hander Jordan Rittiner is in the LSU bullpen. … Jones flies out to Edward in the left-field gap. … Thomas flies out to Mahtook in the right-field gap. … Eden walks. … Petello strikes out swinging. UNO 3, LSU 3.

BOTTOM OF THE SEVENTH

Nola leads off for LSU and flies out to right field. … That’s it for Zimmerman. I have him with 113 pitches (I concede I may have missed one). Now pitching for UNO, junior left-hander Mats Mattson. … He faces Dean, who hits the first pitch down the right-field line for a one-out double. It’s the 62nd of Dean’s career, tying him with Blair Barbier for third place on LSU’s all-time list. … Gibbs lines out to right. Austin Ross is throwing in LSU’s bullpen now with Rittiner. … Landry is out on a strikeout-tag out, called for swinging at strike three and tagged by the catcher after the dirt ball to complete the put-out. Rittiner will be the new pitcher for the Tigers in the top of the eighth inning. UNO 3, LSU 3.

TOP OF THE EIGHTH

Schwaner leads off for UNO against Rittiner and hits a double down the right-field line on a 0-1 pitch. … Comarda is next, but that appears to be it for Rittiner. Here comes Mainieri, and here comes Ross. … Comarda is the first to face him and bunts through a strike, and Gibbs tries to catch Schwaner too far off second base. The throw is short and skips into center field for an error that allows Schwaner to get to third. From there he scores on a fly to center for a sacrifice on the next pitch. UNO leads 4-3. … Church singles up the middle. … Berry lines a single to center, and runners are on first and second with one out. … Sanford is up as right-hander Mitch Mormann throws in LSU’s bullpen. … A 3-2 pitch from Ross to Sanford is fouled back on the right side. So is the next pitch. The next one freezes Sanford, a called strike three that zips past him for the second out. … Jones lines an RBI single over Hanover’s head at second base, and the Privateers lead 5-3. Runners are at the corners for Thomas. A wild pitch puts Jones at second. … Ross goes to a full count on Thomas, who then flies out to center field. LSU is in danger of having its first four-game losing streak since March 2008, when a Tennessee sweep of in Knoxville gave the Tigers a five-game losing streak. This would be LSU’s first loss in a midweek game since April 15, 2009, when Nicholls State won 3-1 here at the Box. UNO 5, LSU 3.

BOTTOM OF THE EIGHTH

Gaudet leads off for the Tigers as freshman left-hander Zach LaSuzzo throws in the LSU bullpen alongside Mormann. Gaudet walks on the ninth pitch of the at-bat. … Hanover flies out to shallow center field. … Edward, who got the third hit of his career tonight, is next. He singles down the right-field line, and Gaudet advances to third base. … Mason Katz pinch hits for Dozar. Neither has hit into a ground-ball double play this season. … Katz takes a called third strike on a 1-2 pitch for the second out. … Mahtook is due up next, but we have a pitching change. The new UNO pitcher: senior right-hander Kevin DeGrouttola. … Mahtook falls behind 0-2, fouls off a pitch, then beats out an infield single into the hole at shortstop for an RBI that pulls the Tigers to within 5-4 of the Privateers. … Nola is up with runners at first and second with two outs. He forces Mahtook at second on a ground ball to shortstop. Wet Delatte will be the new LSU third baseman in the top of the ninth. UNO 5, LSU 4.

TOP OF THE NINTH

Eden leads off for the fourth time tonight and singles for the second time, this time to right field. … Petello strokes a hit-and-run double into the right-field gap for a 6-4 UNO lead, and that’s it for Ross. LaSuzzo is the new LSU pitcher. … He gets to face Schwaner, who has a home run, a double and two runs scored. … A wild pitch puts Petello at third base, so Schwaner has a sacrifice fly opportunity here. Two pitches later, he thinks he’s walked, but he’s called out on strikes. One out. … Comarda singles through a drawn-in middle infield for an RBI and a 7-4 UNO lead. … Church is up with one out and a runner on first. He strikes out swinging for the second out. … Berry strikes out swinging. Due up for the Tigers in the bottom of the ninth: Dean, Gibbs, Landry. UNO 7, LSU 4.

BOTTOM OF THE NINTH

Dean leads off for the Tigers and goes to a 3-2 count on a ball that sails to the backstop. He reaches out and slaps a single up the middle on the next pitch. … Gibbs singles to right field. The LSU fans come alive. … Landry is next, but we have a pitching change. UNO third baseman Kevin Berry, who moves to the mound. He’s replaced at third base by Matt Heltz, who inherits the No. 5 hole in the batting order, where DH Nolan Church began the game. … Landry hits into a 4-3 double play, another turned expertly by second baseman Schwaner, who also did it in the fourth inning. Huge play. … Gaudet is up with Dean at third. Gaudet takes a called third strike. Ballgame.

UNO 7, LSU 4 (final)

Be sure to come back and refresh the page for more after postgame interviews.

Carl Dubois has covered LSU athletics since 1999 and is Tiger Rag’s lead reporter for LSU baseball. Contact him at carl@tigerrag.com