University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Middle Tennessee
Cajuns Rally In the Ninth For the Second Straight Game
3/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Friday, Mar. 28, 2003
LAFAYETTE - Louisiana's
Ragin' Cajuns baseball team won its second straight
bottom of ninth thriller in a 4-3 final here at M.L.
“Tigue” Moore Field against the Middle Tennessee Blue
Raiders. The win improves the Cajuns to 2-2 in Sun Belt
play and 9-20 overall on the year.
Sophomore right-hander Kevin Ardoin received the start
for the Cajuns against Blue Raider left-hander Steve
Kline. The start was Ardoin's third of the season after
opening the season as the team's closer.
The Blue Raiders scored first in the third inning
following a one-out single to center field by shortstop
Chad Cooper. Marcus Taylor doubled to right field
scoring Cooper from first to put the Blue Raiders in
front 1-0.
Middle Tennessee added another run against Ardoin in the
fifth inning on a RBI single by Chad Cooper that scored
center fielder Chuck Akers from second to give the Blue
Raiders a 2-0 lead.
Junior outfielder Corey Coles put the Cajuns on the
scoreboard with a leadoff homerun in the bottom half of
the sixth inning. The homerun by Coles was just the
second Cajun hit against Kline through the first six
innings. Coles had the only other Cajun hit up to that
point with a single in the third inning.
Ardoin gave up a lead off single to Blue Raider second
baseman Jeff Beachum to open the seventh inning. Chuck
Akers put Middle Tennessee ahead 3-1 with a one-out
single to right field that scored Beachum from third.
Junior reliever Kraig Schambough retired the next two
batters after replacing Ardoin with one out in the
inning.
UL Lafayette senior left fielder Bryan Sneed followed up
a Corey Coles single in the eighth inning with a two-run
shot over the right field wall to even the game at 3-3
and knock Blue Raider starter Steve Kline out of the
game.
Schambough held the Blue Raiders scoreless for the
remaining two innings until the Cajuns were able to
score the winning run in the ninth inning. First baseman
Phillip Hawke singled to open the ninth inning before
being replaced by Matt Levering on the basepath. Brad Saloom laid down a sacrifice bunt for the first out of
the inning, which moved Levering to second. Blue Raider
reliever Chase Swing intentionally walked Kevin Preau to
put runners on first and second with one out. Sophomore
third baseman Dallas Morris singled home the winning run
with bouncer past a diving Blue Raider second baseman.
Kraig Schambough (3-1) picked up his third win of the
season after holding the Blue Raider bats scoreless on
just two hits in the final 2 2/3 innings. Chase Swing
(1-3) suffers his third loss of the year for Middle
Tennessee.
The Cajuns were led offensively by the bat of Corey Coles. Coles batted 3 for 4 and hit his third homerun of
the season. Bryan Sneed hit his first homerun of the
year to tie the game in the eighth inning. Sneed went 1
for 3 on the night with 2 RBI. The Cajuns have now hit
two homeruns in two consecutive games.
Louisiana-Lafayette improves to 9-20 on the season and
2-2 in Sun Belt play. The series continues tomorrow as
the Cajuns host Middle Tennessee in game two here at M.L.
“Tigue” Moore Field at 2 p.m. Andy Gros (2-4, 4.21 ERA)
will take the mound for Louisiana-Lafayette against
Middle Tennessee left-hander John Williams (0-2, 5.86
ERA).
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
