Six HRs lift Tigers to sweep

• By CARL DUBOIS
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Mar 3, 2008

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First-year LSU baseball players found out what catcher Sean Ochinko learned last season as a freshman: Alex Box Stadium becomes a hitter’s park when the wind starts blowing out.

The Tigers hit six home runs Sunday, giving them 13 in the weekend series against Duquesne, and they wrapped up a sweep with a 12-2 victory.

Junior-college transfer Matt Clark and freshman D.J. LeMahieu, who combined for eight of LSU’s home runs in the series, each hit two Sunday.

Southeast winds, sustained at 15-20 mph and gusting between 23-30 mph, pushed flags at the Box toward the northwest and helped propel four of the six home runs into the bleachers in left field.

“A lot of the weekends are just like this,” Ochinko said. “Once we get past a certain day, it really starts blowing like this all the time.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be as heavy as today, but a lot of weekends the wind’s going to be blowing like this, and that’s good for our club, because we’ve got a powerful club.”

Clark hit five homers in the series. LeMahieu hit one each day.Ryan Schimpf hit a home run in the eighth inning before LeMahieu and Clark each hit their second of the game later in the inning.

Blake Dean hit one right after LeMahieu’s solo shot to lead off the LSU fifth. Clark, who hit two home runs Saturday in a 22-11 victory against Duquesne, on Sunday hit one over the green wall in center field and sent another high over the scoreboard in right field.

“It’s definitely a hitter’s park when the conditions are in your favor,” said Clark, a left-handed batter whose home runs crossed the strong wind currents instead of hitching a ride with them. When you put good swings on it, it’ll go out anywhere, really.”

LeMahieu couldn’t remember the last time he’d hit two home runs in a game. He and other first-year LSU players saw what can happen when batters put the ball up in the air with the right swings on the right day.

“Hopefully that’ll continue for the hitters,” LeMahieu said.

LSU (7-1) used four pitchers who held Duquesne (0-5) to five hits, three through the first eight innings.

The Dukes’ Brian Bernardo hit a solo home run to left field in the ninth off LSU relief pitcher Daniel Bradshaw.