CHAPEL HILL, N.C.— LSU baseball has survived to play another game.
LATEST:LSU takes down North Carolina to force do-or-die Monday game at Chapel Hill regional
The No. 2 seeded Tigers took down No. 3 Wofford 13-6 in the Chapel Hill regional on Sunday to advance to the regional final on Sunday night against No. 1 North Carolina.
LSU recorded 21 hits and came back from an early 5-0 deficit to earn the victory. Eight hitters had two or more hits. Josh Pearson led the Tigers with four runs driven in and Michael Braswell had four hits.
North Carolina defeated LSU 6-2 on Saturday for the right to advance to the Chapel Hill regional final. The Tar Heels are just a win away from hosting a super regional at Boshamer Stadium next weekend.
UNC scored four runs off LSU right-handed starter Luke Holman on Saturday thanks to a three-run home run and a solo shot from star center fielder Vance Honeycutt. The pitching staff held LSU to just two runs on seven hits and the offense scored two more runs off the Tigers' bullpen in the eighth inning to close out the win.
LSU baseball score vs. North Carolina: Live updates from Sunday night at Boshamer Stadium
First inning: Right-hander Thatcher Hurd tosses a scoreless first for LSU.
LSU then comes up to bat and Josh Pearson hits a two-run home run to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
Second inning: Hurd tosses another scoreless inning. He has three strikeouts.
Brady Neal reaches on a single but the next three Tigers are retired. LSU still leads 2-0.
Third inning: Hurd has sat down the first nine batters he's faced. He's had fantastic command of all his pitches.
At the plate, Michael Braswell shoots a two-out single into right field to score a run. LSU leads 3-0 with runners on the corners. Brady Neal then pops out to end the inning.
Fourth inning: Hurd gives up a two-out double and a run-scoring single. North Carolina is on the board, it's 3-1 LSU.
Hayden Travinski leads off the inning with a single before reaching second base on a rare error from Vance Honeycutt. Jake Brown and pinch-hitter Ben Nippolt then walk against UNC left-handed reliever Kyle Percival to load the bases with nobody out.
Right-hander Connor Bovair comes into the game following the walks.
Tommy White shoots a run-scoring single into right field, 4-1 LSU. Steven Milam then drives in two more on another single to make it 6-1 Tigers.
Jared Jones walks to reload the bases with nobody out. Pearson grounds into a double play right after him but drives in another run to make it 7-1 in favor of LSU.
Michael Braswell pops out to finally end the inning.
Fifth inning: Hurd tosses another scoreless frame before Travinski cracks a solo home run to give LSU the 8-1 lead.
Sixth inning: Hurd records the first two outs but gives up a two-strike double to Parks Harber. Harber eventually scored after a passed ball got him to third base and a wild pitch allowed him to score. 8-2 LSU.
Left-hander Justin Loer then replaces Hurd after two singles put runners on the corners with two out.
Loer walks the only batter he faces on five pitches to load the bases. Right-hander Fidel Ulloa replaces him to face Gavin Gallaher, a righty.
Ulloa falls behind 2-0 in the count but strikes out Gallaher to end the threat.
LSU is threatening to score again. Tigers had two on with one out before Josh Pearson popped out. UNC is now making a pitching change. Right-hander Cameron Padgett is coming in.
Padgett gets Michael Braswell to line out to center field to end the inning.
Seventh inning:Ulloa walks the first two batters before striking out Honeycutt. Left-hander Kade Anderson is now coming in to replace him.
Anderson struck out the first batter he faced but hit Harber with a pitch before allowing a two-run single to Anthony Donofrio that bounced off third base. LSU's lead has been cut to four.
Anderson forced a pop out to finally end the inning.
LSU then went down in order to send us to the eighth.
Eighth inning: Anderson gives up a single but then strikes out the next two batters. However, he walked Colby Wilkinson on four pitches before coming out of the game for right-hander Gavin Guidry.
Guidry strikes out Honeycutt on a slider in a full count to end the inning.
Ninth inning:UNC puts two on with one out after a single, a fly out and a walk. A wild pitch then puts both runners in scoring position before a walks loads the bases.
Guidry gets a strikeout for out No. 2 before forcing a fly out to left field to end the game. LSU wins 8-4.
Email Koki Riley at Koki.Riley@theadvocate.com.
