Louisiana State has rough weekend on the diamond

The LSU baseball and softball teams combined to win a total of one game this weekend.

It wasn’t all bad, though, as the baseball team managed to finish Sunday’s game with a 10-10 tie against the Georgia Bulldogs after 12 innings.

The game was called because of the Southeastern Conference Travel Regulations rule.

The Tigers (23-16-1 overall and 6-11-1 in the SEC) started off the game with 10 runs and led 10-3 after six complete innings, but could not stop the No. 13 Bulldogs from tying the game in the final three innings, including two runs in the top of the ninth.

LSU outhit Georgia, 16-13, but committed three errors that led to one unearned run. Michael Hollander had a solo home run in Sunday’s game, while Derek Helenihi, Micah Gibbs and Leon Landry each had three hits.

On Saturday, the Tigers fell, 9-8. LSU managed to post a seven-run eighth inning, but could not pull out the victory.

Hollander had three runs batted in during the contest, while Blake Dean registered three of the Tigers’ 11 hits.

On Friday, the Tigers fell to Georgia, 6-3. LSU, which was shutout for the first six innings, committed four errors in the contest leading to two unearned runs in the top of the eighth inning. Gibbs (two hits) was the only Tiger player with more than one hit in the game.

Last week, LSU beat Nicholls State, 11-2, on Tuesday and fell to UNO in New Orleans on Wednesday, 6-5.

The Tigers return home today to host McNeese State at 6:30 p.m. LSU will welcome South Carolina to Alex Box Stadium this weekend for a three-game set on Friday (7 p.m.), Saturday (3 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).

LADY TIGERS’ SOFTBALL TEAM DROPS SERIES TO TENNESSEE

The Lady Tigers dropped to 43-14 overall and 12-9 in the SEC after splitting a doubleheader at Tennessee on Saturday and then falling to the Lady Vols, 5-4, on Sunday.

In the first game, LSU was routed 8-0 in a contest that was called after five innings via the mercy rule. The Lady Tigers rebounded with an 8-2 win in the second game on Saturday. LSU came into the game ranked ninth, while Tennessee was 13th.

In the only victory of the weekend for the Lady Tigers, Rachel Mitchell had a grand slam as part of an eight-run third inning. Cody Trahan (12-4) earned the complete-game victory after allowing five hits and recording five strikeouts.

Earlier in the week, LSU topped Nicholls State, 10-2, in six innings on Wednesday.

The Lady Tigers will travel to Monroe today to play Louisiana-Monroe at 6 p.m. and then play host to Arkansas on Saturday (doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.) and Sunday (single game starting at 1 p.m.).

LSU NO. 13 IN LATEST DIRECTOR’S CUP STANDINGS

LSU came in at No. 13 in the latest U.S. Sports Academy Director’s Cup.

The Tigers remain second among all Southeastern Conference teams in the standings with a total of 529.50 points. Tennessee is first among all SEC schools with 576.75 points, which puts the Vols seventh overall. Stanford continues to lead the standings with 907 points with Texas in second place with 684 points.

Other SEC teams in the top 25 in the standings include Florida at No. 14 with 527.75 points and Georgia at No. 22 with 425.50 points.

LSU’s most recent point additions have come from a third-place national finish in women’s basketball, which garnered the school 83 points, and a 29th place finish in men’s swimming, which was good enough for 44.5 points.

LSU’s other points have come from football (100 points), women’s indoor track (90 points), men’s indoor track and field (80 points), volleyball (50 points), women’s soccer (50 points) and women’s swimming (32 points).

Last year, LSU finished ranked No. 17 in the nation in the Directors’ Cup with a total of 888 points.

The U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today.

The United States Sports Academy, based in Daphne, Ala., is the program’s sponsor. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 20 sports – 10 women’s and 10 men’s.

Michael Hollander banged in a solo homerun in Sunday’s 10-10 tie with Georgia. He also batted in three runs in the teams 9-8 loss Saturday. * Photo by STEVE FRANZ LSU