By CARL DUBOIS cdubois@theadvocate.com Advocate sportswriter
What's rarer than a Clay Harris triple? An LSU run in the sixth inning. The former led to the latter Saturday as the Tigers scored a sixth-inning run at Alex Box Stadium for the first time in 13 home games this season.
Thus ended what became known in the press box as the Junior Announcer Jinx, alluding to a new LSU promotion. In the bottom of the sixth inning of each home game, a different "junior announcer" introduces LSU hitters.
Eight-year-old Shelby Story announced the Tigers in the bottom of the sixth Saturday in LSU's 10-8 victory over Western Illinois. With one out, Harris hit his first triple of the season, his fourth at LSU. After Nick Stavinoha walked, Harris scored on a wild pitch.
Two pitches later, Matt Liuzza hit into an inning-ending double play.
Harris said he hollered at Ryan Patterson as the two ran out to their positions for the top of the seventh inning, marking the end of the jinx.
"It was getting pretty bad," Harris said. "Yeah, we were definitely aware of it. The thing that made it so weird was we've had the bases loaded a couple of times in the sixth inning and never put a run across.
"So maybe now, the sixth inning, we won't be afraid of it."
LSU's only other sixth-inning run in 17 games this season came at Houston.
