CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — LSU's bats awoke after spotting Wofford a 5-run lead and the Tigers rolled to a pair of wins Sunday to set up a winner-take-all regional final with North Carolina on Monday.
ESPN's web site listed the LSU-UNC Regional Championship game as a 5 p.m. start on ESPN+.
In their nightcap, LSU avenged a loss to the Heels the night before with two runs in the first en route to an 8-1 lead that led to a 8-4 win and a berth in the regional final.
The team that wins the final between LSU and UNC will host this weekend's Super Regional against the winner of the Arizona regional.
LSU followed up 21 hits in the opening win over Wofford with 11 hits in the nightcap.
Josh Pearson's two-run homer in the first set the stage as the Tigers jumped to a quick 2-0 lead. LSU got another in the third, three more in the fourth and two more in the fifth before holding on behind clutch pitching that left 10 Carolina runners on base.
Thatcher Hurd left the game with an 8-2 lead, having thrown 5 and two-thirds solid innings. Four pitchers followed with varying degrees of success, but all getting clutch outs when necessary.
LSU 13 Wofford 6
Josh Pearson drove in four runs and scored four himself as LSU spotted Wofford five runs in the first inning and slowly but surely fought their way back to beat the Terriers 13-6 Sunday afternoon that set up the later game with North Carolina.
Griffin Herring came in for the Tigers with two outs in the first and threw 6 and a third innings, keeping Wofford at bay to enable the comeback.
LSU scored two in the second, one in the fourth and three in the fifth to tie the game at 6. LSU held Wofford scoreless the rest of the way and scored two more in the 7th, three in the 8th and two in the ninth, compiling 21 hits on the day.
Pearson hit a two-run homer in the 5th to cut the margin to 6-5 Terriers. He scored the go-ahead run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly. He doubled in a run in the 8th and also later scored and he hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth to provide the final margin.
The winner of the regional will host the Super Regional and face the winner of the Tucson regional next weekend.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.
