LSU pounds Arkansas to advance to CWS championship final
Omaha, NE (Sports Network) - Blake Dean hit a solo homer and knocked in two, and Tyler Hanover hit a two-run shot as LSU advanced to the College World Series final after hammering Arkansas, 14-5, at Rosenblatt Stadium following a 2 1/2-hour rain delay at the start.
Hanover finished with three RBI, while Ryan Schimpf added a solo homer for the Tigers, who have won 13 straight games and will play either Texas or Arizona State in the title round. LSU improved to 33-19 all-time in the CWS and will be vying for its sixth national title.
Anthony Ranaudo picked up the win after working six shutout innings.
The righty gave up four hits and struck out five.
Chase Leavitt hit a three-run homer and Brett Eibner belted a two-run blast for Arkansas, which finished 7-2 in the NCAA Tournament and 41-24 overall.
Stephen Richards was tagged with the loss. The Razorbacks' closer this season made his first start of the year, but lasted only two-plus innings. The left- hander allowed four runs -- two earned -- with a pair of walks, while striking out two.
Richards was 6-1 with a 1.80 earned run average coming into the contest.
LSU opened the scoring with a two-out run in the first. Dean doubled and scored on Micah Gibbs' single up the middle. The Tigers then tacked on three more in the third. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Dean reached on an error that allowed a run to score. Later in the inning, Mikie Mahtook's sacrifice fly and a wild pitch on Mike Bolsinger made it a 4-0 game.
Dean and Jared Mitchell each hit a solo homer in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively, to give LSU a six-run cushion.
Then in the top of the seventh, the Tigers blew the game wide open, putting up five more.
Schimpf launched a solo blast, before Mahtook chipped in with an RBI base hit and Sean Ochinko chased in another with a double. Mahtook crossed the plate on a wild pitch and Hanover's RBI double made it 11-0. Eibner's two- run homer in the home half got Arkansas on the board.
A two-run shot by Hanover and an RBI single from Chad Jones in the top of the ninth upped the Tigers lead to 14-2.
In the home half, Matty Ott was tagged for a three-run homer by Leavitt with two outs. Paul Bertuccini then took the hill retired the final batter.
06/19 20:39:26 ET
