Baseball Rallies Past Texas Tech in Season Opener
2/8/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 8, 2002
CAJUNS RALLY PAST RED RAIDERS IN SEASON OPENER
Andy Gros limits Raiders to two hits in final 2 2/3 innings as Cajuns come-from-behind for the win
HOUSTON– It may have takenLouisiana's Ragin' Cajuns baseball team four innings to warm up the bats in the frigid environment of Enron Field, but once they did they found themselves on the winning side of a 4-3 decision here Friday morning against Texas Tech in the 2002 Astros College Classic.
Junior Andy Gros (1-0) got the win in relief of starter Tim Ramon. Gros entered the game in the seventh inning with the bags loaded with Red Raiders. Gros got TTU second baseman Joel Buchenauer to ground into a double play, stealing the momentum for the Cajuns.
Louisiana-Lafayette (1-0) capitalized in the bottom of the eighth with the game tied 2-2. After Justin Bourque and Bryan Sneed singled, senior third baseman Robert Shelton laced a towering double that ricocheted off the left field wall scoring Bourque and advancing Sneed to third.
Sneed would score the eventual game-winning run when a passed ball got by TTU catcher Willie Durazo giving the Cajuns a 4-2 lead they wouldn't relinquish. TTU (6-2) tacked on the final run of the game in the top of the ninth when Gera Alvarez hit a towering solo shot off of Gros.
Gros would settle down and strike out Tyler Carson for the final out.
The Red Raiders started the scoring in the top of the third. Jon Slack hit a fly ball to left field that Sneed lost in the sun, scoring two runs and giving TTU the early 2-0 lead.
That wasn't the only time the sun played a factor in today's game.
In the bottom of the fifth Slack would lose a fly ball in the sun from Sneed. Sneed would score two batters later when Lloyd Ellis grounded out third.
Slack would lose another fly ball in the sun in the sixth. This time it was Cajuns' catcher Mike Kabel. Kevin Preau singled to first, but an error on Buchenauer allowed Kabel to score tying the game up.
Both starting pitchers went 6 1/3 innings. Cajuns' starter Tim Ramon allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out four while only walking two. TTU starter Steve Gooch allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out five.
La.-Lafayette started the game 0-for-10, picking up their first hit in the fourth. Sophomore Brad Saloom singled to get the Cajuns their first runner on base. The hit extended his hitting streak, dating back to last season, to 16 games. The school record for hitting streak is 23 games.
Brandon Shaw was tagged with the loss for the Red Raiders after allowing two runs in the bottom of the eighth after the game was tied 2-2.
The Cajuns continue their stay at the Astros College Classic Saturday at approximately4 p.m.against Texas A&M.
-Ragin' Cajuns-
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