University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Western Kentucky
Baseball Drops 2 of 3 in Bowling Green With 7-3 Loss
3/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Sunday, Mar. 23, 2003
BOWLING GREEN- Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns baseball team drops the rubber match of the three game series by a score of 7-3 here at Nick Denes Field against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. UL Lafayette (7-20) loses two out of three here against the Hilltoppers and falls to 1-2 in Sun Belt conference play.
Junior right-hander Jordy Templet received the start on the mound for the Cajuns. Western Kentucky went with senior left-hander Kenny Hughes.
Western Kentucky opened the game with four runs on four hits against Templet in the first inning to take an early 4-0 lead. Designated hitter Brent Miller hit a bases loaded single to center field that scored the first two runs for the Hilltoppers. Outfielder Antone Towns scored from third on a called balk against Templet for the third run. The Hilltoppers added one more run in the inning on a RBI double to left field by left fielder David Lower.
UL Lafayette junior catcher Ryan Core put the Cajuns on the scoreboard with a one-out solo-shot over the left field wall for his second homerun on the year.
Templet left the game with one-out in the second inning after walking two of the first three Hilltopper batters. Junior Austin Faught came in for Templet and gave up a three run homerun to Western Kentucky third baseman Tim Grogan. Grogan's homerun gave the Hilltoppers a 7-1 lead. Junior Kraig Schambough relieved Faught after the Hilltoppers hit consecutive singles off him following Grogan's homerun.
Schambough pitched the final 6 2/3 innings for the Cajuns, holding the Hilltoppers to no runs and only two hits for the rest of the game.
Western Kentucky starter Kenny Hughes held the Cajuns scoreless until the ninth inning. Hughes left the game with one-out in the top of the ninth and Cajun runners on first and second. Adam Prida came on for Hughes and walked Justin Morgan to load the bases. Firsty baseman Phillip Hawke grounded out to first base scoring Brad Saloom from third for his 18th RBI of the season. Shortstop Ray Dees who came in as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning drove in Rhett Buras from third to score the Cajuns final run of the game. Prida held the score at 7-3 and preserved the win for Western Kentucky by striking out the next batter to end the game.
Templet (2-3) suffers his third loss of the year after allowing six runs on four hits and walking three in 1 1/3 innings on the mound. Hughes (2-1) gets the win for the Hilltoppers after tossing 8 1/3 innings, and holding the Cajuns to just three runs on six hits, while striking out nine.
Louisiana-Lafayette falls to just 1-12 away from home this season after dropping two of three games here in Bowling Green. The Cajuns will return home this week with a 6:30 start this Wednesday night against in-state rival Tulane before hosting Middle Tennessee for a three-game Sun Belt series at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field over the weekend.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
