University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Nebraska
Cajuns Defeat 4th Ranked Nebraska 4-2 For Seventh Straight
5/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Friday, May 2, 2003
LINCOLN, Neb. - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns baseball team defeats the Nebraska Cornhuskers by a score of 4-2 here at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park. The Ragin' Cajuns used good pitching, timely hitting, and flawless defense to win the series opener against 4th ranked Nebraska. UL Lafayette (22-25) has now won seven straight games, while Nebraska (35-12) suffers defeat for just the second time in 22 games this season at Hawks Field.
Sophomore right-hander Kevin Ardoin made the start to open the series for UL Lafayette. Ardoin held Nebraska to just two runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings before getting a no decision after leaving the game in the fifth inning.
The Cajuns jumped out to an early 3-0 lead against Cornhusker ace left-hander Aaron Marsden. Left fielder Corey Coles drove in the first UL Lafayette run of the game with a first inning triple to right center field that scored Dallas Morris from second, who reached base on a double. Coles scored the second run of the inning on a RBI single by junior catcher Ryan Core.
Nebraska cut the lead to just one run at 3-2 on a two-run homerun by catcher Matt Wells with two outs in the second inning. Wells led Nebraska with three hits on the night.
Ardoin held the Cornhuskers scoreless for the next two innings, before senior pitcher Andy Gros came on in relief and escaped a jam with two runners on base and just one out in the fifth inning.
Senior designated hitter Bryan Sneed homered for the second consecutive game by crushing a Marsden fastball over the right field wall with one out in the sixth inning to extend the Cajun lead to 4-2.
Gros shut down the Cornhusker bats for the next two innings before Nebraska got a two-out rally going in the bottom of the ninth inning. A walk to second baseman Bubbs Merrill and a single by Matt Wells brought the winning run to the plate for Nebraska. Junior reliever Kraig Schambough came on to close out the game for UL Lafayette and got Daniel Bruce to fly out to end the game and pick up his third save of the season to preserve the win.
Marsden (6-2) suffers just his second loss of the year for Nebraska, while Gros (4-6) picks up his second straight win on the week for Louisiana-Lafayette after holding the Cornhuskers scoreless on two hits in 4 1/3 innings of work. Gros has not allowed a run in 16 straight innings on the mound.
Dallas Morris and Ryan Core both went 2 for 4 on the night to lead the Cajuns offensively. Core drove in his 17th run of the year on a single in the first inning and Morris scored the first run of the game after a double in first inning. Bryan Sneed hit his fifth homerun of the season with a solo-shot in the sixth inning.
UL Lafayette improves to 22-25 overall on the season after winning their fifth straight on the road and seventh straight overall. The series continues tomorrow at 2 p.m. here from Hawks Field in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Cajuns will send junior right-hander Jordy Templet (6-3, 3.19 ERA) to the hill on Saturday against Nebraska right-hander Quinton Robertson (6-1, 4.09 ERA).
-Ragin' Cajuns-
