Freshman utility athlete Rob Segedin and junior right fielder Drew Allain posted three hits each, and rookie right-hander Robby Broach gave the Green Wave a solid 5.2-inning start, but it was not enough as the Tulane University baseball team dropped an 8-4 decision to state rival LSU Tuesday evening at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.

Tulane posted 13 hits on the night, including four doubles and a home run. The difference in the ballgame, however, was clutch hitting as the Green Wave stranded 10 runners on the basepath, including five in scoring position. The Tigers stranded seven on the day, but got a key two-run, two-out single by shortstop D.J. LeMahieu in the eighth to erase a 4-3 deficit and the duo of right fielder Derek Helenihi and catcher Micah Gibbs combined to drive in three in the final stanza to account for the final score.

"If we had a big hit in one of those (earlier RBI) situations, that could have changed the complexion of the ballgame," Tulane head coach Rick Jones said. "They were able to do that late, and their bullpen did a nice job against us."

Combined with a 7-5 defeat back on March 19 in Baton Rouge, Tuesday's loss marks the first time LSU swept Tulane in the regular season since 2000. With the loss, Tulane falls to 27-13-1 on the year. LSU, meanwhile, improves to 24-16-1.

Tulane led 4-3 in the sixth following a one-out RBI double to center by junior first baseman Sam Honeck, but Louis Coleman came on in relief of starter Ryan Verdugo and thwarted the rally by sandwiching a pair of ground-ball outs around a walk. Following a scoreless seventh, LSU got things going early in the eighth as designated hitter Blake Dean - who went 4-for-4 on the night - opened the stanza with a double and Helenihi followed with a single to put a pair of Tiger runners in scoring position with nobody out.

Segedin, who started the game at third base before taking the mound with two out in the sixth, nearly wiggled off the hook with a groundout and a strikeout. From there, however, LeMahieu turned on a 1-0 offering and sent it swiftly to right to give LSU a 5-4 advantage it would not relinquish.

Tulane had a chance to tie in the home half of the frame was junior left fielder Warren McFadden smoked a one-out double down the right-field line, but Coleman got an infield pop-up and Shane Ardoin produced a 3-1 grounder to get out of the inning without any harm done.

In the ninth, LSU second baseman Ryan Schimpf hit a one-out single and stole second. With two away, Tulane elected to intentionally walk Dean. The move did not work out as planned, however, as Helenihi singled through the left side of the infield to plate Schimpf from second, and Gibbs followed with a two-run double to left central to put the game out of reach.

"It was such a good ballgame, but it just got away from us late," Jones said. "I probably stayed with Segedin a hitter too long. I thought his stuff was good and it was a match-up with a lefty that we felt pretty good about. That didn't work out and they stretched the lead.

"Early, we had some opportunities to build on our lead and we didn't take advantage of that. And we got out of a couple of situations, too, early, and kept them from doing that. I thought it was a good ballgame in which we didn't capitalize on as many RBI opportunities early in the game as we would have liked, and they stretched the lead late."

Tulane drew first blood in the contest as Segedin belted a solo home run to right in the second - his third round tripper in the last four ballgames - but LSU answered in the top of the third when left fielder Jared Mitchell doubled to left, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on an RBI-single off the bat of third baseman Michael Hollander.

Two innings later, Segedin dropped a two-out, two-run single to left, but just as they had in the third, LSU answered in the next stanza with a solo home run by Dean and a two-out, RBI-double to right center by LeMahieu to tie things up again at 3-3. Allain opened the home half of the inning with a double past first baseman Matt Clark, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by reserve centerfielder Scott Powell, and scored on Honeck's double off the wall in center.

Allain's run was the last for the Green Wave as Coleman (3-0) earned the victory with 2.1 shutout innings out of the bullpen. Ardoin retired the only batter he faced, and Paul Bertuccini sat Tulane down in order in the ninth.

"I thought it was really a great game," LSU head coach Paul Mainieri said. "It see-sawed back and forth, both teams played hard, but in the end we just came through with a couple of more clutch hits than they did. Late in the game, the difference was LeMahieu coming through with the clutch hit after Clark struck out and being able to tack on those runs in the ninth inning.

"I thought Coleman was awesome, and then Bertuccini has been great. Verdugo gave us a good performance. It was a good solid win for us, but Tulane has a great ballclub and they're going to finish strong I'm sure."