Privateers Break Up Shutout in Ninth, Fall to LSU

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NEW ORLEANS, La. – The New Orleans Privateers baseball team (14-37) committed a couple of early errors and allowed the #1 ranked LSU Tigers (44-8) to steal four bases in a 9-1 loss on Tuesday night at Maestri Field at First NBC Ballpark in front of a crowd of 2,380 in a game presented by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
 
The Tigers got the scoring started in the second inning in part on the first of three Privateers errors in the field. A two-base fielding error allowed Conner Hale to get into scoring position. After a ground out moved Hale to third, he scored on an RBI single by Grayson Byrd to put the Tigers on the board.
 
LSU scored at least a run in four consecutive innings to draw to a 5-0 lead after 4 ½ frames. New Orleans got their first and biggest threat in the bottom of the fifth. A one-out double by Jonathan Santana was followed by two walks to the next three batters to load the bases.  Collin Strall recovered to get a ground ball to end the frame and keep New Orleans off the board.
 
LSU's biggest inning came in the seventh. Byrd drove in two of his four runs on the night with a single to left. Byrd came into the night with five RBIs on the year in 26 at-bats. Michael Papierski came up next and hit a two-run homer, his first of the season that squeezed over the right field fence to cap off the Tigers' scoring.
 
New Orleans would crack the scoreboard in the ninth after the first two runners reached. Cameron Hoffman's check swing ground out moved runners to second and third. Parker Jones followed with an RBI ground out to first that scored Sam Carriere. The game was ended on a strikeout recorded by Alden Cartwright who was the seventh Tigers pitcher of the night.
 
Carriere extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a single in the first inning, one of four Privateers hits on the night. Santana, Jay Robinson, and Hezekiah Randolph provided the other hits for New Orleans. Kevin Kelleher went three innings and allowed two runs (one earned) while striking out two batters. Six Privateer pitchers were used and Mitchell Cohen and Seth Laigast each fired a scoreless inning.
 
The Tigers were led by Byrd's four RBIs on a 2-for-5 night. Byrd, Hale, and Jake Fraley each scored twice and Andrew Stevenson went 2-for-5. The Tigers recorded six strikeouts and issued four walks. Hunter Devall picked up the win, throwing three innings and allowing two hits while striking out three.

New Orleans starts their final series of the season against Southeastern on Thursday at Maestri Field at First NBC Ballpark. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
 
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