University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Texas State
Cajuns Sweep Southwest Texas In Season Opener
2/8/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Saturday, Feb. 8, 2003
LAFAYETTE – Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns baseball team began the road back to Omaha in 2003 with a doubleheader sweep (5-2, 5-3) over visiting Southwest Texas here Saturday afternoon at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field in the season opener.
UL Lafayette (2-0) won their 21st straight doubleheader game at Moore Field while SWT dropped to 1-3 on the season. Head coach Tony Robichaux moved closer to becoming UL Lafayette's all-time wins leader, picking up wins 287 and 288 which puts him three behind Mike Boulanger for the all-time lead and four from taking the lead.
Senior Jason Wilson led off the season in the bottom of the first inning with a double to centerfield and advanced to third on a groundout by designated hitter Charles Redmond. Wilson scored the first run of the 2003 season on a wild pitch by Bobcats starter Corey Covert.
After picking up another run in the second inning, junior Matt Levering led off the third for the Cajuns with an infield single. Louisiana-Lafayette capitalized off of two errors in the bottom of the third and scored two more runs to take an early 5-0 lead.
Cajuns left-handed ace Andy Gros left off right where he finished the 2002 season. Gros pitched eight strong innings, only giving up two earned runs on eight hits while striking out five batters.
With the Cajuns up 5-2 going into the top of the ninth inning, sophomore right-hander Kevin Ardoin relieved Gros. Ardoin retired the Bobcats in order in the ninth to pick up his first save of the year and first of two for the doubleheader.
Gros (1-0) picked up the win in game one while SWT starter Covert (0-1) received the loss after allowing five runs, three of which were earned in seven innings pitched.
Senior Charles Redmond, who scored a run and drove in two runs, led the Cajuns offensively in the opener. SWT right fielder Richard Martinez scored both Bobcats runs.
After a 33-minute break between games, the doubleheader resumed with a seven-inning affair. UL Lafayette junior and Breaux Bridge native Jered Salazar started his first Division I baseball game on the mound.
Louisiana-Lafayette got all of its offense in the third inning. All five runs were unearned. Sophomore first baseman Phillip Hawke capped the big inning with a two-out blast over the right field wall scoring three runs.
The five-run third was all the Cajuns needed as Salazar (1-0) provided five innings of solid work to pick up his first win as a Ragin' Cajun. Salazar allowed four hits and three runs in his debut.
Junior Kraig Schambough came on in relief in the sixth inning and was able to escape the inning by leaving two SWT runners stranded.
Ardoin, who closed the first game, came in to close game two in the top of the seventh. He allowed a leadoff single to Southwest Texas center fielder Domin Ramos. Ardoin then settled down and retired the next three Bobcats hitters to preserve a 5-3 lead and notch his second save of the day.
Bobcats pitcher Brook Parr (0-1) suffered the loss after allowing five runs (all unearned) in five innings of work on the mound.
Despite being outhit 14-10 in the doubleheader, the Cajuns were able to take advantage of good baserunning and solid pitching to collect the sweep.
Louisiana-Lafayette will go for the three-game sweep
Sunday at 1 p.m. in the final game of the series at
Moore Field.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
