LSU Tigers register another

Matt Clark hit a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning Sunday to lift LSU to a 9-8 victory over No. 16 Kentucky in Cliff Hagan Stadium. The victory completed a sweep for the Tigers (32-16-1, 12-11-1 SEC) for the second straight weekend.

In addition, LSU has now won nine straight games and led the SEC West with two more weekends to go in regular-season action. LSU, which swept South Carolina last weekend in Baton Rouge, recorded back-to-back SEC sweeps for the first time since 1998, when the Tigers won six in a row over Arkansas and Kentucky.

The Tigers and Wildcats were rained out on Friday, forcing a doubleheader on Saturday.

In Sunday’s game, LSU trailed 8-3 after five innings, but put up two-run innings in the sixth, eighth and ninth. Batting out of the ninth hole, Ryan Schimpf had two hits and four runs batted in. Blake Dean added two hits and two RBIs. Daniel Bradshaw (4-5) got the win in relief after one hit over 3.1 innings of work. Jared Bradford picked up his second save of the series with one inning of hitless relief.

Bradford also picked up the victory in the first game on Saturday and the save in the second game on Saturday. Jordan Brown started Sunday’s game and allowed 11 hits and five earned runs in 4.1 innings.

In the first game of the twinbill on Saturday, LSU scored two runs in the top of the 10th inning on a double by Hollander and a single by Derek Helenihi to post a 3-1 victory. Ryan Verdugo started and went eight innings, allowing three hits and no earned runs. Bradford (8-4) picked up the win after two no-hit innings.

In the final game on Saturday, LSU came out the box with a 7-0 lead after three innings and went on to post 13 hits and take a 12-5 victory. Sean Ochinko had a two-run homer in the fourth and Jared Mitchell had a solo homer. Helenihi, Dean, Ochinko, D.J. LeMahieu and Mitchell each had two hits in the game. Helenihi and Ochinko each had two RBIs. Blake Martin (3-3) started the game and got the win after allowing six hits and five runs. Bradford allowed two hits over the final four innings for the save.

Last week, LSU defeated Louisiana-Lafayette, 5-3, behind a five-run fifth inning in Baton Rouge. The contest was the final regular-season non-SEC game to be played at Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers will not play a game this week as they finish up final exams.

Beginning in 2009, LSU will play in the new Alex Box Stadium, which is being built about a mile south of the current baseball stadium.

The Tigers will play host to Mississippi State this week in the final home SEC games of this season. LSU and MSU will play Friday (7 p.m.), Saturday (3 p.m.) and 1 p.m. on Sunday.

SOFTBALL TEAM SECURES THIRD SEED IN SEC TOURNAMENT

An offensive explosion that included four doubles and a home run led the 15th-ranked LSU softball team to a 9-0 run-rule win over South Carolina in six innings on Sunday afternoon at Beckham Field. With the win, the Tigers (41-15, 17-11 Southeastern Conference) wrapped up the third seed heading into the SEC Tournament at Tiger Park this weekend.

A trio of Tigers recorded three hits in the Sunday contest as Quinlan Duhon was 3-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs and Rachel Mitchell and Killian Roessner were each 3-for-4 with two doubles. Roessner and Tayl’r Hollis each registered two RBIs, while Mitchell had one run batted in. On the mound, Cody Trahan (17-4) recorded a complete-game shutout that featured two hits, three walks and four strikeouts.

On Saturday, the Lady Tigers won 5-3, before falling in the nightcap of the doubleheader, 4-3. LSU posted a 5-0 lead after three innings and coasted to the win. Trahan got the win after allowing three hits and three runs in 5.1 innings. Casey Faile registered her first save of the season with a hitless 1.2 innings. Duhon had two hits and four RBIs, including a two-run homer in the first inning. Mitchell added two hits.

In the second game on Saturday, LSU scored two runs in the top of the seventh, but it wasn’t enough. Shannon Stein collected two hits and two RBIs. Garcia (3-3) was tagged with the loss after allowing three hits and two earned runs in one inning. Faile allowed six hits and an earned run in the final six innings.

Earlier in the week, the Lady Tigers beat Southeastern Louisi-ana in Hammond, 5-0.

LSU will start SEC Tournament action at home on Thursday with a 7:30 p.m. contest against Auburn. With a victory, the Lady Tigers will play either Alabama or Mississippi State at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

LSU’s Matt Clark hit a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning Sunday to give the Tigers a 9-8 win over No. 16 Kentucky. * Photo courtesy of STEVE FRANZ/LSU