3 p.m. -- It's 7-1

Texas Southern got on the scoreboard and forced a pitching change in the top of the sixth inning.

Earnest Rhone ended the shutout with a leadoff home run to left field, cutting LSU's lead to 7-1.

Justin Holloway followed with a single up the middle. Gen. Ron Richard of TAF just told me his wife, Dee, is keeping up with the blog in North Carolina, so I figured I'd say hi to her during this break. Jordan Brown just hit Jordan Bush with a pitch, prompting catcher Micah Gibbs to visit the mound to speak with Brown.

David James got ahead 2-0, and that was it for Brown. Paul Mainieri came and got him, bringing in Austin Ross. The fans in gold (and in purple, and white, and whatever) gave Brown a rousing ovation.

I would have posted all this before now, but as you know the NCAA is limiting me to one post per half-inning, so I had to wait until the half-inning ended. I'm sure the delay had Dee Richard on pins and needles, worried that Texas Southern was putting together a big inning. The visiting Tigers tried, but LSU snuffed it out.

James hit the first pitch by Ross back to Ross, and he turned and threw to D.J. LeMahieu to start a 1-6-3 double play. That put Holloway on third base, but it got two critical outs. David Arredondo hit a chopper toward the left side of the infield, and Michael Hollander stepped in front of LeMahieu and made the throw to first for the third out.

It's 7-1 LSU heading to the bottom of the sixth inning.