Tim Fletcher Show: Local Teams Battle It Out + Pelicans Coach Fired

Louisiana Tech snapped Northwestern State's six-game winning streak by slamming the Demons 13-8 at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park Tuesday night.

The Bulldogs' Zac Burger clubbed a grand slam in the Tech half of the second inning as part of an 8-run outburst.  Colby Johnson drove one into the pine trees beyond the right field wall in the bottom of the fifth with the sacks full for the Dogs second grand slam as part of a 5-run inning.   Louisiana Tech has now won twelve consecutive non-conference games.

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Top-ranked LSU received a dose of good news last night.  Second-baseman, Jared Foster, ruled academically ineligible last week during his senior season, was reinstated to the team after a review of his specific circumstances and consultation with the NCAA.  Foster is second on the team with eight home runs and among the team leaders with 29 RBI.  He will travel with the Tigers today to Columbia, South Carolina for the final SEC series of the regular season.

Last night, LSU walloped the University of New Orleans, 9-1 in their final non-conference game of the year.  The Tigers strung together five runs in the second-through-fifth innings to place the Privateers in a hole.  Freshman Grayson Byrd had four RBI, nearly doubling his season total.

LSU's magic number to claim the SEC regular season crown is two heading into the final conference series.  Paul Mainieri's men lead Vanderbilt by a game-and-a-half and Texas A&M by two games with three to play.

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LSU-S will have to fight back through the loser's bracket to make their way out of NAIA Regional play in Shawnee, Oklahoma after dropping a heart-breaking 1-0 decision to 18th-ranked Sterling Tuesday afternoon.

The Pilots David Diaz pitched a complete game, suffering the loss on a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth after carrying a no-hitter into the final inning.

LSU-S is back at it today, playing for their post-season survival at 11am against Briar Cliff.  The winner survives to play at 6pm against the loser of Oklahoma Baptist and MidAmerica Nazarene.

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The New Orleans Pelicans parted ways with head coach Monty Williams on Tuesday, despite leading the team into the playoffs this year.  The surprising move came after Williams and the Pelicans win totals improved from 27 two years ago, to 34 last season and up to 45 this last season.  Those 45 wins also came with superstar Anthony Davis missing 14 games.

General manager Dell Demps said he thought Williams did a good job, but made the decision to dismiss the coach as part of the process of "moving forward."

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LeBron James did a little bit of some things and a lot of others to lead Cleveland to a 106-101 win over Chicago last night to give the Cavaliers a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semi-final series. James finished with 38 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks and zero turnovers. The Bulls were without Pau Gasol, who missed his second straight game with a strained left hamstring.

In Houston, the Rockets staved off elimination in their Western Conference semi-final series with a 124-103 blowout of the Clippers.  James Harden, battling through an illness, had 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to power the Rockets to victory.