BASEBALL OPENS SEASON WITH DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP

CAJUNS COMPLETE SWEEP OF ARKANSAS STATE ... April 2, 2000

LAFAYETTE – Louisiana's Ragin' Cajun head baseball coach Tony Robichaux's club has relied on pitching and defense to carry it to the majority of its first 27 wins of the season.

On Sunday at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field, the Cajuns tried something different – just enough pitching and plenty of offense – and came away with a 11-4 Sun Belt Conference victory over Arkansas State to complete a three-game sweep of the Indians.

The 6th-ranked Cajuns (28-2, 11-1) rapped out 15 hits, their second-straight double-digit hit performance, and four pitchers combined to allow only one earned run as the Cajuns captured their sixth straight victory and 12th in a row over the Indians.

After the Indians pushed an unearned run across in the opening inning, the Cajuns responded with a pair of runs in their half of the frame and never looked back. After Steven Feehan walked to lead off the game, Ryan Gill followed with a single that put runners at first and second with no out. Nathan Nelson flew out, but Will Hawkins plated Feehan with a single to leftfield. Hawkins would score the second run of the inning on ASU starter Brant Epperhart's second wild pitch of the inning. Epperhart failed to make it out of the first inning in dropping his lone decision of the season.

"You start to get down in your bullpen on Sunday," Robichaux said. "Then, we're able to run guys out there who are fresh. The biggest thing about Sunday is striking early."

John Anderson would fare no better against the hot-hitting Cajuns. Louisiana-Lafayette turned Anderson's first full inning of work into a nightmare, scoring four times against the freshman righthander. The Cajuns laced five hits in the inning, but a key error by ASU rightfielder Lane Stafford helped the Cajuns add to their rapidly expanding lead.

With Gill on first and two out, Nelson shot a single through the right side of the infield. Stafford charged, but overran the ball. Gill hustled home and Nelson advanced to third. Hawkins then delivered an RBI double to score Nelson.

Eric Templet worked four innings, allowing only one unearned run before giving way to freshman Andy Gros.

"We wanted to get Andy in a conference game," said Robichaux, whose team improved to 18-0 at Moore Field this season. "Somewhere down the line, I think we'll need Andy to throw in a conference game and we wanted him to experience this because it is so much different from a mid-week game."

Temple, Gros, Aaron Welbourne and Trey Bullinger (1-0) all benefitted from an offense who found its stroke early and never looked back. However, the Cajun bats were silent from the fifth inning on, when ASU pitchers took advantage of the complacent Cajun hitters.

"It's tough to keep it up all the way through," Robichaux said. "Mix that with being tired and its tough to combat that. We need to keep them hungry and their feet planted on the ground."

The Cajuns return to action on Wednesday at home against Tulane, which they pounded 12-1 on March 29, at 7 p.m. before embarking on a nine-game, 13-day road trip that will begin on Friday in Miami against Florida International and conclude on April 19 in Wichita, Kans., against Wichita State.

"The Tulane game will be good for our fans," Robichaux said. "It will be good baseball, but we're looking forward to getting on the road and getting away from everything."

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

BASEBALL OPENS SEASON WITH DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP

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