LSU Tigers make history in NFL Draft

The LSU football program made history on Saturday without even playing a down.

The Tigers had four players (JaMarcus Russell, LaRon Landry, Dwayne Bowe and Craig ‘Buster’ Davis) picked in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft and the most players from one school in the initial round. Also, it was the first time ever that a quarterback and two receivers from the same school were picked in the first round.

Russell was the first pick of the draft, taken by the Oakland Raiders. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound Russell joins LSU legend Billy Cannon (1960) as the only Tigers to be the first overall pick in the NFL.

Landry, a safety, went with the sixth pick to the Washington Redskins, becoming the Tigers highest defensive player picked since the Common NFL Draft began in 1967. Kansas City selected Bowe at No. 23, and San Diego completed the quartet by snatching Davis with the 30th pick.

“This is a great day for LSU and a great day for these young men and their families,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “We are very happy for these guys. They are very deserving of being picked in the first round and we are very proud of them. All four of these guys have worked extremely hard to get to this point in their career. They all played a major role in the success of our football program and LSU athletics in general over the past four years.”

On Sunday, defensive end Chase Pittman was taken by the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round.

LADY TIGERS TAKE SERIES FROM TENNESSEE

In front of the second largest crowd in LSU softball history, the fifth-ranked Tigers earned the series win over top-ranked Tennessee, 3-2, on Senior Day at Tiger Park on Sunday afternoon.

The crowd of 1,531, second only to Saturday’s record 2,326, witnessed LSU earn its third win over a No. 1-ranked team in the last two seasons and move into a tie for the Southeastern Conference championship with an overall record of 48-8 and a 21-4 mark in Southeastern Conference play. Following the conclusion of the game, the Tigers honored their three seniors n Kristen Hobbs, Emily Turner and Leslie Klein n who all played an important part in LSU’s win on Sunday, in a ceremony on the field.

The Tigers are now tied with the Lady Vols (51-4, 21-4).

The teams split a doubleheader on Saturday. On Sunday, LSU put up three runs in the bottom of the second inning and never looked back. Tayl’r Hollis drew a bases-loaded walk for the first run. Hobbs’ sacrifice fly put the home team up by two runs and Jazz Jackson’s single made it 3-0.

Turner (17-5) got the win after allowing two runs and three hits in 6.1 innings. Dani Hofer got her second save of the season after striking out the only two hitters she faced in the game.

On Saturday, Tennessee got two runs in the top of the fifth for a comeback victory over Hofer (21-2), who allowed six hits and two runs. Jackson had the team’s only RBI in the 2-1 loss. In the second game of the doubleheader, Turner pitched a complete-game five hitter as LSU notched a come-from-behind victory with two runs in the third and three more in the fifth. Klein had three hits and five runs batted in, including a three-run home run in the fifth.

LSU will now close out the regular season with a trip to Athens, Ga. The Lady Tigers will face Georgia in a three game series, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday (1 p.m.), and concluding with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. LSU will then participate in the SEC Tournament the following weekend in Auburn, Ala.

ERRORS HURT BASEBALL TEAMS CHANCES FOR SERIES WIN

Tennessee centerfielder Julio Borbon’s two-run single in the top of the 10th inning on Sunday lifted the Vols to a 10-9 series-clinching win over LSU at Alex Box Stadium.

Tennessee (25-19, 8-11 SEC) won a series in Baton Rouge for the first time in the program’s history. The Tigers (24-20-1, 9-11-1) had won five straight series against Tennessee overall, including eight of the last nine series.

The teams combined on Sunday to walk 14 batters and commit nine errors. LSU issued eight walks and tied a season-high with five errors.

“That was a poorly played baseball game,” said LSU head coach Paul Mainieri. “We could have won. If we just make some routine plays, we win the game. It was a total team effort.”

Tennessee trailed 9-8 entering the eighth.

Paul Bertuccini (0-2) suffered the loss, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits in three innings of work. Sean Ochinko, Jared Mitchell and Nicholas Pontiff each had two hits. Ochinko and Mitchell each launched solo home runs.

On Friday, LSU fell to Tennessee, 7-1, but then rebounded to win Saturday’s game, 4-2. Both victories were because of strong pitching performances. The Tigers were held to three hits on Friday by James Adkins. On Saturday, it was Jared Bradford’s time to shine as he improved to 8-2 with a complete game. Bradford allowed nine hits, two runs and struck out eight. Blake Dean hit a two-run homer in the third to put LSU up, 3-0. Michael Hollander led the team with three hits.

LSU (24-20-1 overall, 9-11-1 in the SEC) will play a doubleheder on Tuesday (Southern at 2 p.m. and Nicholls State at 6:30 p.m.). This weekend, the Tigers will travel to Arkansas for games on Friday (7 p.m.), Saturday (3 p.m.) and Sunday (12:35 p.m.).

GYMNASTICS SQUAD CONCLUDES ITS SEASON

The LSU gymnastics team wrapped up the 2007 season Saturday night at the NCAA Championships as four athletes competed in the Individual Event Finals at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Center.

A top-10 showing on the beam by Kelly Phelan highlighted the night’s competition. The Orlando, Fla., native hit a solid set to notch a 9.7750 for the 10th-place finish. Also competing on the floor, Phelan scored a 9.850 to finish 11th overall. Joining Phelan on the floor was Susan Jackson, who in her inaugural appearance in the event finals the Spring, Texas, native recorded a 9.7875 to place 14th.

Nicki Butler capped her career with a 13th-place finish on the vault. Having to compete two different vaults in the finals, the Virginia Beach, Va., native turned in a 9.5563 average after scoring a 9.8625 on her yurchenko full and a 9.2500 on her 1 1/2-twisting yurchenko.

In addition, Kristi Esposito, a three-time All-American on the beam, recorded a 14th-place finish on the event after scoring a 9.5875.