LSU celebrates second victory of the night at Alex Box as Tigers clinch series vs. Vols

LSU ordered a win, but with double the shots.

Brady Neal and Gavin Dugas’ back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the fourth inning helped lift LSU over Tennessee, and the Tigers capitalized in later innings to clinch their series Friday night at Alex Box Stadium, 6-4.

The Tigers (24-3, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) trailed by one in the bottom of the fourth inning when Neal and Dugas did what they’ve been doing through SEC play: They seized the moment.

Neal ripped his third homer of the season, a game-tying shot to tie the score 4-4 (his second homer had come the week before against Arkansas).

Dugas came up clutch as well, following Neal with a homer of his own, sending it over the left-field fence to give LSU the 5-4 lead. (His two-run homer on Thursday against Tennessee in the bottom of the fifth gave LSU a 2-1 lead). 

Tommy White brought in the Tigers’ sixth run on a sac fly in the sixth, and LSU held down the Volunteers (20-8, 3-5) from there.

White had a part in LSU’s three-run first inning when he, Cade Beloso and Josh Pearson all doubled with two outs to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead. Tre’ Morgan had already tied the score on an RBI double.

Right-hander Ty Floyd gave up the first run in the top of the frame on a homer by leadoff batter Maui Ahuna, who had stuck out all three times Thursday night, when a record crowd at Alex Box Stadium watched the Tigers nab a 5-2 win.

Floyd gave up three home runs on the night. In the top of the second inning, he had picked off Dylan Dreiling at first — but Hunter Ensley followed with a solo homer, cutting LSU’s lead to 3-2.

The Vols’ third homer of the night was a two-run shot by Zane Denton in the fourth, which gave Tennessee a 4-3 lead. 

Floyd finished the night having allowed six hits and four earned runs through five innings, striking out five and walking one.

As both teams’ bullpens pitched shutout innings in the seventh and eighth, many of the 12,551 fans in Alex Box began to chant “L-S-U!” as the clock was ticking down on the Tigers’ semifinal win over Virginia Tech in the Women’s Final Four.