LSU and Mississippi State resume their SEC West baseball series tonight at 7 PM at Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers scored seven runs in the seventh inning last night in a 10-1 romp over the Bulldogs, who fell to 1-6 in SEC play. LSU is 4-3 in SEC action and they’ll send Caleb Gilbert to the hill tonight.

In the Sun Belt, ULM is at Texas-Arlington. The Warhawks are looking to even up their series with the Mavericks. The Cajuns are trying to do the same after losing a heart breaker at Arkansas State last night. The Red Wolves rallied back from a three-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth to win 8-7 in 12 innings.

Grambling State hosts Texas Southern as those two teams battle for first place in the SWAC West division.

And in nearby Ruston, Louisiana Tech hosts F-I-U. The Bulldogs fell out of first place in Conference USA after losing to the Panthers nine to seven.

The Pelicans can sweep the season series versus the Cavaliers with a win tonight over Cleveland. New Orleans beat the Cavs back on October 28th, but both teams look much different now. The Pels no longer have DeMarcus Cousins and Cleveland’s roster was completely overhauled at the trade deadline.

Nicholls has named Austin Claunch as its new head men’s basketball coach. Claunch has served as an assistant the last two years.

Former NBA and LSU star Shaquille O’ Neal has committed to donating cash to help Lafayette High School build a new weight room. The school is looking to raise 42-thousand dollars and Mighty Lions head football coach Rob Pool says the donation will go a long ways towards fixing a crucial part of the athletics program….
cut 7 (10) “….for it”
Shaq will make his donation on South Louisiana Giving Day on May 10th.

The 21st ranked LSU baseball team busted out of its hitting slump by scoring seven runs in the seventh inning during a 10-1 win over Mississippi State. Zach Watson, Austin Bain, Daniel Cabrera and Jake Slaughter each drove in two runs on the night. Starting pitcher Zach Hess was also very good, as he struck out 10 and gave up just three hits in 6.2 innings.

Also last night, FIU scored three runs in the ninth inning to beat Louisiana Tech nine to seven. The Bulldogs fall to 5-2 in Conference USA play.

McNeese pitchers walked 10 hitters in a 5-4 loss to Southeastern Louisiana last night. Cody Grosse had three hits for the Lions and Corey Gaconi was the winning pitcher.

UT Arlington beat ULM 5 to 2 and the Ragin Cajuns blew a three-run lead in the 9th inning and lost to Arkansas State eight to seven in 12 innings.

Arizona walloped Nicholls 11-3 and UNO outscored A-and-M Corpus Christi 13 to 8.

The Pelicans will battle LeBron James and the Cavaliers tonight on ESPN in Cleveland. New Orleans is fighting for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They trail San Antonio and Oklahoma City by a half game for fourth place. A playoff spot is also far from locked up. New Orleans is only two games better of the Clippers, who are in ninth place.

Former LSU and NBA star Shaquille O’ Neal has pledged to help Lafayette High School remodel its weight room. Shaq delievered this message that confirmed his commitment….
cut 6 (12) “…bye bye”
Lafayette High Football Coach Rob Pool says he’s blown away that O’ Neal would help towards remodeling their weight room that he hopes will be complete by early June.

LSU erupted for seven runs in the 7^th inning on the way to a 10-1 win over Mississippi State last night. Austin Bain, Daniel Cabrera, Zach Watson and Jake Slaughter each drove in two runs. Watson also scored three times and had three hits. Antoine Duplantis also had three hits. Zach Hess struck out 10 and only allowed three hits and one run in 6.2 innings to pick up the victory.

La Tech scored six runs in the 8^th inning, but gave up three runs in the ninth inning and lost to F-I-U nine to seven. Tough outing for Braxton Smith as he gave up the three runs and was charged with the loss as Bulldogs fell to 5-2 in league play.

Wild game in Jonesboro, Arkansas.. UL-Lafayette gave up three runs in the 9^th inning and lost to Arkansas State 8-7 in 12 innings. Hunter Kasuls had had four runs driven in, in the loss. Also in the Sun Belt, UT Arlington topped ULM 5-2.

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McNeese walked 10 batters and lost to Southeastern Louisiana five to four last night. Cody Grosse led the way for the Lions as he had three hits, scored a run and also drove in a run. Corey Gaconi was the winning pitcher.

In other Southland action. Central Arkansas clobbered Northwestern State 12-1. UNO beat Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi, while Nicholls lost to Arizona.

And Tulane edged South Florida three to two. Kaleb Roper struck out 10 in eight innings for his third win of the year.

In the NBA, the Pelicans will look to snap a two-game losing streak tonight when they face Cleveland. New Orleans is in 6^th place in the Western Conference, a half-a-game back of San Antonio, who is tied with Oklahoma City for fourth place.

The 2018 major league baseball season is underway and there are eight former Tigers on Major League Baseball Active Rosters. Aaron Nola had a strong start for the Philliles, but Atlanta came back to Philadelphia 8-5. Also yesterday, the World Series champion Astros started the season with a 4-1 win over the Texas Rangers.

LSU opens an SEC series tonight with Mississippi State. The Tigers are 16-10 overall, 3-and-3 in the SEC. LSU right fielder Antoine Duplantis expects a winning streak in the near future….
cut 18 (09) “…doing it”
After losing to Nicholls on Tuesday, Mississippi State is now 13-and-13 and 1-and-5 in the SEC. But they send one of the best pitchers in college baseball to the mound tonight. Junior left-hander Konnor Pilkington is 1-and-3 with a 1.82 ERA. First pitch is at 7 PM.

Matt Miller will be on the hill tonight when Louisiana Tech opens a series with F-I-U. Miller is 3-and-1 on the year with a 1.16 ERA. The Ragin Cajuns are at Arkansas State and ULM takes on Texas-Arlington, also this weekend Southeastern is at McNeese.

A Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer has passed away. New Orleans native Rusty Staub has died at the age of 73. He played for 23 seasons in the big leagues and was a fan favorite in Montreal and New York, where he spent nine seasons with the Mets. Staub was a graduate of Jesuit High School.

Former LSU and Rummel standout Craig Steltz has filed a lawsuit against the NFL because he claims he suffered traumatic brain injuries while playing for the Bears. Steltz played in Chicago from 2008 to 2014 and the suit says he sustained repetitive and traumatic concussive head impacts. Steltz is seeking unspecified damages.

The Pelicans are in Cleveland tomorrow night. New Orleans is tied with San Antonio for fifth place in the West, one game back of Oklahoma City. The Spurs host the Thunder tonight. Rajon Rondo is listed as questionable with a wrist injury. And Anthony Davis is considering shaving his signature unibrow and has asked fans on social media if he should keep the unibrow or not.

Because of the Easter weekend, LSU’s SEC series with Mississippi State begins tonight at Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers have scored just nine runs in the last four games . Following Wednesday night’s 3-1 loss to U-L Lafayette, Coach Paul Mainieri met with right fielder Antoine Duplantis. The Lafayette native grounded out to end the game with the tying run at second base. Duplantis says they talked about having a better approach when runners are in scoring position….
cut 17 (20) “….at bats”
First pitch tonight is at 7:00.

Other series of note this weekend, La Tech hosts F-I-U, Southeastern Louisiana is at McNeese and Grambling hosts Texas Southern.

Former LSU and Rummel standout Craig Steltz has filed a lawsuit against the NFL because of traumatic brain injuries he suffered while playing for the Chicago Bears. Steltz played for the Bears from 2008 to 2014 and the suit says he sustained repetitive and traumatic concussive head impacts. It doesn’t go into detail about the health issues Steltz is facing. The safety on LSU’s 2007 national championship team is seeking unspecified damages.

New Orleans native and six time major league baseball All-star Rusty Staub has passed away at the age of 73. Staub played in the majors for 23 years with four teams and he was a fan favorite for both the Montreal Expos and New York Mets.

Today is opening day for Major League Baseball. Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros begin defense of their World Series title by facing the Texas Rangers in Arlington. Former LSU standout Aaron Nola gets the opening day start for the Phillies, who are in Atlanta.

A struggling LSU baseball team faces one of the top pitchers in college baseball tonight when the Tigers begin a series against SEC West foe Mississippi State. The Bayou Bengals have scored just nine runs in the last four games and Coach Paul Mainieri says the challenge is to break out of their hitting slump by facing left-hander Konnor Pilkington…

Cut 16 (23) “…draft choice”

First pitch is at 7 PM.

Louisiana Tech, who is in first place in Conference USA, begins a three-game series against F-I-U tonight. The Bulldogs are 15-3 in March and their team ERA is the second best in the nation. First pitch is at 6 PM.

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Tight end Benjamin Watson is back with the Saints as he’s agreed to a one-year contract with the Black and Gold. Watson last played for the Saints, when he caught 74 passes. Watson spent the last two years with the Baltimore Ravens.

In other NFL news, if a team wants to trade for former LSU star Odell Beckham Junior, it will reportedly cost that team at least two first round draft picks to make a deal with the New York Giants. Beckham will reportedly not take the field this year without a new contract.

The Pelicans are in Cleveland tonight to face LeBron James and the Cavaliers. King James had 41 points last night in a win over Charlotte. New Orleans is looking to snap a two-game losing streak. The Pels are tied for fifth place in the West heading into tonight’s matchup on ESPN.

Today is opening day in Major League Baseball. Former LSU star Aaron Nola gets the opening day start for the Phlliies against the Atlanta Braves. Nola was 12-and-11 last season with a 3-point-five-four E-R-A. First pitch is at 3:10.

Ben Watson is back with the New Orleans Saints as he’s signed a one-year contract with the Black and Gold. The 37-year-old is coming off a good season with the Baltimore Ravens, where he caught 61 passes for 522 yards and four touchdowns. Watson played for the Saints from 2013-15. In 2015, he caught 74 passes, but tore his achilles tendon the next season.

Coach Sean Payton said at the NFL owners meetings that there biggest needs are an edge rusher, tight end and wide receiver. Could New Orleans be in the market for a back-up quarterback? Payton says he’s impressed with former Heisman winner and Louisville standout Lamar Jackson….
cut 20 (17) “…can lead”

The Pelicans will look to snap a two-game losing streak when they visit Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow night. New Orleans lost to Portland 107 to 103 last night, despite 36 points from Anthony Davis. The Pels are 43-32 eason and tied for 5th place in the Western Conference with San Antonio. The Thunder are one game ahead of New Orleans.

The LHSAA has issued a one-time waiver that will allow Lafayette High pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis to compete in the elite division of the Texas Relays on Saturday. There was concern the world junior record-holder would no longer be able to compete in high school events, if he partcipated in this weekend’s event in Texas.

LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri says he takes responsibility for how his team is playing. The Tigers lost for a second time this season to the Ragin Cajuns when UL Lafayette upended LSU 3-1 last night in Metairie. LSU also lost a series last weekend to Vanderbilt. Tomorrow they host Mississippi State.

LSU had 10 hits but scored just one run in a three to one defeat to UL Lafayette in the Wally Pontiff Classic in Metairie last night. For the first time since 2002, the Cajuns have swept the season series against the Tigers. The winning pitcher was Hogan Harris, who started for the first time in a month and pitched four innings and did not allow an earned run.

Elsewhere, ULM outscored Jackson State 10-7. Louisiana Tech won its 20th game of the season last night as the Bulldogs scored six runs in the 9th inning to defeat McNeese nine to two. Nicholls beat Mississippi State seven to four in Thibodaux. It’s the first time in program history the Colonels defeated State. Seniors Lee Clark and Kyle Knauth each drove in two runs.

Northwestern State upended Lamar seven to two, Grambling outscored Texas College 11-3. And Southeastern Louisiana defeated Tulane nine to three. It’s S-L-U’s sixth straight win over the Wave.

The Pelicans couldn’t hold on to an 11-point third quarter lead last night and lost to Portland 107-103. Anthony Davis had 36 points and 14 rebounds in a losing effort. The difference in this game was the 27 second chance points by the Trail Blazers. The Pels are in Cleveland on Friday.

Saints Coach Sean Payton says the team is still looking to add an edge rusher, wide receiver and tight end in either free agency or the draft. General Manager Mickey Loomis says they did well in last year’s draft, but they don’t have as many high picks as they did in 2017….
cut 19 (17) “….the same”
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, veteran tight end Ben Watson is returning to the Saints. The 37-year-old led the Ravens with 61 catches last season.

The Ragin Cajuns baseball team has had a tough season, with a losing record, but they own two victories in a season over the 19^th ranked LSU Tigers since 2002. UL-Lafayette completed the season series sweep of the Tigers with a 3-1 win last night at the Wally Pontiff Junior Classic. The difference was a two-run first inning for the Cajuns and LSU left 11 runners on base, including the tying run on second inning in the 9^th inning.

In other baseball action, Louisiana Tech thumped McNeese 9-2. The Bulldogs scored six runs in the 9^th inning. Dalton Skelton and Mason Robinson each had two run triples.

Nicholls knocked off Mississippi State seven to four. Lee Clark hit his first home run of the season. Southeastern Louisiana hammered Tulane nine to three for its sixth straight win over the Green Wave. And Northwestern State defeated Lamar 7-2. The Demons started fast with four runs in the first inning.

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Anthony Davis had 36 points and 14 rebounds, but Portland’s Damian Lillard had 41 points as the Blazers defeated the Pelicans 107-103. Lillard was fantastic in the 4^th quarter as he scored 20 points in the final 12 minutes to help Portland rally back from an 11-point deficit. New Orleans will look to avoid a third straight loss when they visit the Cavaliers and LeBron James on Friday night.

The Saints were interested in Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, but he ended up signing with the Rams. New Orleans General Manager Mickey Loomis says the Saints didn’t lowball the defensive wrecking ball, but the Rams valued him differently….

Cut 18 (16) “….at that”

Coach Sean Payton says looking ahead to the draft, edge rusher is a must.

21st ranked LSU and UL Lafayette meet tonight at the Shrine on Airline in Metairie for the Wally Pontiff Junior Classic. Freshman right-hander AJ Labas will start for the Tigers, he’s 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA, while the Cajuns counter with left-hander Hogan Harris, who hasn’t pitched since the opening weekend because of an oblique injury in the season opener.

LSU will be without its starting second baseman and leading hitter for the next three to five weeks. Brandt Broussard has a broken thumb. Austin Bain could be your starter at second base for the time being, with Daniel Cabrera playing at first base. Also, shortstop Josh Smith has suffered a minor setback as he tries to come back from a back injury.

In other action, Southeastern Louisiana seeks its sixth straight win over Tulane when the two schools meet in Hammond. Nicholls State is hosting Mississippi State. The Colonels are 8-15 on the year. And Louisiana Tech visits McNeese. The Bulldogs have won 14 of their last 17. McNeese is 19-and-7 on the year.

Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson spoke Monday for the first time since her husband’s death at the NFL Owners meeting in Orlando, Florida. There have been questions on whether or not there will be major changes to the teams. Benson says after visiting the office on a daily basis for the last eight years, she knows the organizations are running like a well oiled machine…
Cut 14 (10) “it is.”
Gayle Benson added that it’s upsetting to read or hear reports she may sell or move the teams. Benson made the comments at the NFL owners meetings. She’s been attending them since she married Tom Benson in 2004.

The Pelicans host Portland tonight at the Smoothie King Center. Nikoa Mirotic and Rajon Rondo are questionable with injuries. Mirotic has a hip flexor, while Rondo has a wrist sprain. Blazers All-Star guard Damian Lillard could also miss the game, because his girlfriend could go into labor.