University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
New Orleans
Cajun Bats Swing Away In 17-4 Win at New Orleans
4/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Friday, April 25, 2003
NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns baseball team defeats the New Orleans Privateers by a score of 17-4 here at Maestri Field in the first of a three game Sun Belt series. UL Lafayette (18-25) wins their third straight game and improves to 9-7 in conference play, while New Orleans (20-22) falls to 4-9 in the conference.
The Ragin' Cajuns offense scored a season high 17 runs to go with a season high 23 hits. The 23 hits is second all-time only to a record 26 hits set in 1997 against Louisiana Tech.
UL Lafayette went with sophomore right-hander Kevin Ardoin against New Orleans right-hander Michael Jones. Ardoin picked up the win after holding the Privateers to just three runs on seven hits in 7 1/3 innings with four strikeouts and one walk.
UL Lafayette opened the third inning off Moore with four consecutive base hits by Ray Dees, Jason Wilson, Dallas Morris, and Corey Coles. Morris drove home Ray Dees with a base hit up the middle to score the first Cajun run of the game. Corey Coles plated Wilson with a base hit to left field and Phillip Hawke drove in the third run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to center field to put the Cajuns up 3-0.
Ardoin retired the first eight Privateer batters to open the game before UNO second baseman Justin Guy hit a two-out triple in the bottom of the third inning for the first Privateer hit. Guy scored the first New Orleans run of the night on a single by center fielder Joe Pietro. The Privateers added a second run off Ardoin in the fifth inning on ground ball RBI by third baseman Austin Wasserman.
The Cajuns scored single runs in each the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to go up 6-2. Jason Wilson picked up a fielder's choice RBI in the fourth inning and Bryan Sneed drove in the fifth Cajun run of the game in the top half of the fifth inning after Corey Coles led off the inning with a bunt single and scored on Sneed's double to right field.
Corey Coles led off the huge eight run seventh inning with a homerun to right field for the Cajuns. UL Lafayette then scored four more runs before any outs were made. Catcher Ryan Core drove in two runs with a double to center field and right fielder Kevin Preau plated two more with his first career homerun as a Ragin' Cajun over the left center field wall. Third Baseman Dallas Morris drove in two more with a triple down to center field and Corey Coles drove in the eighth run with a sacrifice fly to center field.
The bats continued to click for the Cajuns as they scored three more runs in the eighth inning to take a 17-2 lead. Kevin Preau and Jason Wilson each had RBI hits in the inning.
New Orleans scored two late runs in the eighth inning to make the final score 17-4.
Ardoin (3-4) picks up his third win of the season for UL Lafayette, while Jones (3-5) suffers his fifth loss of the year for New Orleans. Jones gave up seven runs on 11 hits in six innings pitched.
Corey Coles highlighted the UL Lafayette offense with a 4 for 4 night, two runs scored, and 3 RBI's. Kevin Preau and Jason Wilson each had three hits on the night. Preau scored three runs and drove in four more, while Wilson scored two and drove in three. It was the first time all season that every Cajun starting hitters had at least one hit in the game.
UL Lafayette improves to 18-25 overall on the season and 9-7 in the Sun Belt. The Cajuns will continue with game two of the series here at Maestri Field against New Orleans tomorrow at 1 pm. Junior right-hander Jordy Templet (5-3, 3.11 ERA) will make the start for the Cajuns against New Orleans right-hander Chris Bourgeois (2-4, 5.47 ERA).
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
