CAJUN OFFENSE EXPLODES TO TOP UALR...April 12, 2002
?LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Louisiana-Lafayette head coach
likes to break the normal nine-inning baseball contest into three, three-inning "mini-games:" On Friday, his team took one in a big way.
The Cajuns exploded for eight runs in the middle innings and overcame a slow start en route to a 10-6 Sun Belt Conference win over Arkansas-Little Rock (15-20, 2-6 SBC) at Curran Conway Field.
?Outfielders Bryan Sneed and Corey Coles combined for five RBIs and starting pitcher Justin Gabriel continually got out of jams to send the Cajuns (23-12, 5-2 SBC) to their first win at UALR in four tries.
?Gabriel (6-1) gave up a career-high 15 hits but still managed to work 7 2/3 innings. The southpaw surrendered four runs in the first two innings but didn't allow another until the eighth. The Seattle, Wash., product struck out seven and walked just one while stranding 11 UALR runners.
?The Cajuns, meanwhile, did not help their ace early defensively. Louisiana-Lafayette committed three errors in the first two innings as the visitors spotted UALR a 4-1 lead.
?However, Louisiana-Lafayette chipped away with a run in the third before roaring back in the fifth. The Cajuns batted around and got four hits, including RBI singles from Coles and Chase Lambin, to turn a 4-2 deficit to a 7-4 lead. Sneed provided a two-run RBI single in the sixth to stretch it to 10-4.
?Sneed extended his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games in the process – the longest streak by a Cajun this year. Eight Cajuns recorded at least one hit, and Justin Bourque and Jason Wilson each notched two.
?Bobby Reed (1-5) got the loss for UALR, which lost its seventh straight and 16th in 18 outings. The right-hander gave up seven hits and six earned runs in four-plus innings. The Trojans' Jon Youngblood and Luke Mercado each had three hits, and the squad had 16 overall.
?The two teams will continue the three-game series at 2 p.m. Saturday.
