University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
UALR
Eight-Run Fourth Pushes UALR Past Cajuns
4/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Sunday, April 13, 2003
LAFAYETTE - Louisiana's
Ragin' Cajuns baseball team falls to Arkansas-Little
Rock 8-5 here at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field in the final
game of the three game Sun Belt series. UL Lafayette
(14-24) can't complete the sweep and falls to 6-6 in the
Sun Belt, while Arkansas-Little Rock (20-14) improves to
3-6 in the conference.
Louisiana-Lafayette junior left-hander Corey Coles made
the start against right-hander Bennett Cromer of
Arkansas-Little Rock. Coles lasted just 3 1/3 innings
after giving up five runs on six hits with three walks
and five strikeouts.
UL Lafayette held an early 2-0 after three innings, but
Arkansas-Little Rock responded with all eight of their
runs in the fourth inning. The Cajuns brought the tying
run to the plate with a late ninth inning two-out rally,
but the eight-run fourth inning proved too much to
overcome in the end.
First baseman Phillip Hawke put the Cajuns ahead early
in the second inning with his second triple of the
weekend to score Kevin Preau with the first run of the
game. Hawke scored from third with the second Cajun run
of the game on a throwing error by the Trojan shortstop.
Arkansas-Little Rock exploded for eight runs off of six
hits against Cajun pitching in the fourth inning. Aaron
Haefele drove in the first run with a single to center
field and left-fielder Clay Pittullo drove in three more
runs with a one-out double to right field off Coles.
Catcher Rick Guarno hit a triple off reliever Kraig Schambough to drive in two more runs and third baseman
Joe Mercer added a RBI with a single up the middle.
Mercer scored from third on a called balk against Cajun
reliever Andy Gros to cap the scoring for
Arkansas-Little Rock.
Senior pitcher Andy Gros kept UL Lafayette in the game
by holding the Trojans scoreless on just two hits
through the final 5 2/3 innings. Gros struck out five
batters and walked just one after coming on in relief in
the fourth inning.
Cajun shortstop Ray Dees scored on a Corey Coles single
in the fifth inning to cut the Trojan lead to 8-3. The
Cajuns managed two more runs against Arkansas-Little
Rock closer Travis Trammell in the ninth inning, but
Trammell ended the rally by striking out Corey Coles to
end the game. Outfielders Bryan Sneed and Jason Wilson
both drove in one run each on two-out hits in the ninth
inning.
Coles (0-3) suffered the loss on the mound for UL
Lafayette, while Cromer (4-1) picked up the win for
Arkansas-Little Rock. Cromer struck out seven hitters on
the day and held the Cajuns to just three runs on seven
hits in six innings for the win.
Louisiana-Lafayette managed 12 hits for the third
consecutive night against Trojan pitching despite the
loss. Cajun third baseman Dallas Morris extended his
hitting streak to 11 games with a base hit in the ninth
inning. Morris batted .556 (5 for 9) over the weekend
with three runs scored, three runs batted in, and three
walks.
UL Lafayette goes to 14-24 overall on the season and 6-6
(.500) in the Sun Belt. The Cajuns will continue the
seven-game home stand against the Lamar Cardinals this
Tuesday night at 6:30 pm before hosting Florida
International over the weekend in a key Sun Belt series.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
