March 17, 2002
BOURQUE LIFTS BASEBALL PAST NO. 7 WICHITASTATE
WICHITA,Kan.– Justin Bourque could not have picked a better time to hit his first home run of the season.
The Carencro native lifted a two-run shot to right center in the top of the ninth as Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns baseball team left Wichita with at least one win, a 9-7 decision over the seventh-ranked Shockers here at Eck Stadium on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
The home run by Bourque completed a comeback which saw the Cajuns (13-8) rally from a 6-2 deficit for the win.
Eunice native Kevin Ardoin picked up the win for the Cajuns in relief.
He pitched the final two innings allowing just one hit for his second win of the season. He along with four other Cajun relievers combined to limit WSU to just two runs after the Shockers lit up starter Justin Gabriel for five runs (all earned) on four hits.
For the first time all weekend, the Cajuns made WSU pay for their mistakes. Louisiana-Lafayette wasted no time in doing so.
The Cajuns would push across two runs in the top of the first on a throwing error by WSU starting pitcher David Sanders which allowed Kevin Preau and Bryan Sneed to score. In fact, of all nine Cajun runs, only one run was earned.
WSU (10-2) took advantage of Gabriel falling behind on each batter to get three runs on two hits off of him in the first. Designated hitter Drew Moffitt delivered a two-run home run after Brian Burgamy hit an RBI double to give the Shockers a 3-2 lead after one complete.
WSU would chase Gabriel in the third after catcher Kent Becker hit a run-scoring single to give the Shockers a 5-2 lead.
UL Lafayette made its rally in the sixth. Brad Saloom and Mike Kabel led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Saloom would score on a fielding error by the second baseman. Dallas Morris then made the Shockers pay with a three-run shot that tied the game 6-6.
The Cajuns regained the lead in the seventh when Saloom hit a sacrifice fly that scored Preau for a 7-6 lead. That lead was brief as the Shockers scratched in the bottom half of the seventh when Burgamy singled home pinch hitter Ryan Bell to knot things up at 7-7.
Bourque hit his home run off of WSU ace reliever Steve Haines, tagging him with his first loss of the season.
With the win, Louisiana-Lafayette picked up its first win ever at Eck Stadium and split its four games this week against teams in the Top 10.
The Cajuns wrap up their stretch of eight straight against the Top 10 Tuesday with a 6:30 p.m. game against Louisiana State (14-8). It will also be the Cajuns final tuneup before conference play begins this weekend with New Orleans at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field March 22-24.
-Ragin' Cajuns-
