University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
South Alabama
Cajuns Fall Short of SBC Title as USA Takes 7-6 Win
5/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Saturday, May 17, 2003
LAFAYETTE - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns baseball team saw a ninth inning rally fall short in a 7-6 loss to the South Alabama Jaguars here at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field in the second game of the three game Sun Belt series. The Jaguars (39-14, 17-6 Sun Belt) clinched their third consecutive Sun Belt Conference title with the win. UL Lafayette (27-28) drops to 14-9 in the Sun Belt, and will now draw the third seed as the hosts in the upcoming conference tournament.
The Jaguars rallied with a three run seventh inning to take a 7-6 lead and held on to pick up their sixth conference win in a row. UL Lafayette drops back-to-back home conference games for the first time since a New Orleans sweep to end the 2000 season.
UL Lafayette jumped out to an early lead with one run in the first inning following a one out triple to left center field by junior left fielder Corey Coles. Coles scored the first run of the game on a groundball out to second base by Bryan Sneed that put the Cajuns in front.
The Ragin' Cajuns added four more runs in the second inning off USA starter Frank Elia. UL Lafayette center fielder Jason Wilson singled home Brad Saloom with the first run of the inning and Corey Coles hit a two-out bases loaded double to right field that cleared the bases and gave the Cajuns a 5-0 lead.
South Alabama got on the scoreboard on an infield error after Cajun starter Jordy Templet walked three straight Jaguar batters to load the bases. Templet struck out Cole Craig for the first out and got Jansen Rayborn to ground into an inning ending double play to escape the bases loaded jam.
Both teams traded runs in the fourth inning to make it a 6-2 ballgame. South Alabama third baseman Kevin Sytko put the Jaguars within three runs with a RBI single to left field. The Cajuns increased the lead back to four runs when Jason Wilson led off the bottom half of the inning with a double and scored from third on a one out sacrifice fly to right field by Dallas Morris.
The Jaguars added two more runs against Templet in the fifth inning on a two-run single by pinch hitter Jason Gross that cut the Cajun lead to just two runs and knocked Templet out of the game. Freshman relief pitcher Jeff Martinez came in and got the Cajuns out of the inning with a 6-4 lead.
South Alabama rallied for three runs in the top half of the seventh inning to take a 7-6 lead. The Jags scored the first run off Martinez following a lead off walk and a one-out RBI single by catcher Tim Land. Sophomore Thad Montgomery came in to pitch for Martinez and was greeted with a single by Kevin Styko and a two-run double to left center field by Brett Parker that scored the tying and eventual game winning runs for the Jaguars.
USA reliever Caleb Crosby held the Cajuns to just one run on three hits in six innings after coming on in relief of Elia in the third inning. Crosby held the Cajun bats scoreless after the fourth inning and gave way to Jaguar closer Tony Neal in the ninth.
Neal struck out Jason Wilson to open the ninth inning, but gave up consecutive one-out walks to pinch hitter Rhett Buras and lead off hitter Dallas Morris. Corey Coles followed with an apparent game-tying single to left field that was ruled a foul ball. Neal then got Coles to ground into a game ending double play to pick up his eighth save of the year and give the Jaguars their third straight SBC regular season title.
Crosby (5-3) picked up the win after six innings of relief, while Montgomery (1-1) suffers his first loss of the year for the Cajuns after giving up one run in the seventh inning.
UL Lafayette will try to get back to the .500 mark as the series concludes with a 1 p.m. start on Sunday. Senior left-hander Andy Gros (6-6, 3.98 ERA) will get the start for the Cajuns against Jaguar right-hander Tommie Major (9-2, 5.89 ERA). Sunday will also be the final regular season game at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field for seniors Bryan Sneed, Dan Reed, Jason Wilson, Danny McMurtry, and Andy Gros.
-Ragin' Cajuns-
