University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
* Middle Tennessee
Cajuns Down The Middle
4/3/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 4, 2004
MURFREESBORO, Tenn.-After going beyond the distance Friday night, Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns and the Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee looked to settle things in a more timely fashion Saturday afternoon at Reese Smith Field. The teams would get their wish and the Cajuns again emerged victorious by a final count of 9-3 thanks in part to a Leonard Guerrero homerun in the fourth.
The three-run fourth inning started when Justin Merendino pulled the Cajuns ahead on an RBI ground out after Kevin Preau hit a seeing-eye single up the middle and advanced two bases on Ryan Core's double to left-center.
Guerrero smashed his first longball of the season deep to left and gone in the same inning driving in Core to give the Cajuns a three-run lead.
Ian Pecoraro got his first win on the season going seven-and-one-thirds innings, surrendering three runs on six hits while fanning five. Pecoraro (1-1) helped the Cajuns to improve to 4-1 in Sun Belt play while taking the first two in the series against Middle Tennessee.
John Williams, who came into today's game with a career 3-0 against UL Lafayette, took the loss giving up five runs on seven hits through the first four innings in the game.
Williams made quick work of the top of the Cajuns lineup retiring the three in order in the first.
The Raiders struck first when Eric McNamee singled and was bunted over to second to start the bottom of the first. McNamee scored on a Derek Phillips single to right-center giving Middle the 1-0 lead after one complete.
The Cajuns evened the board at 1-1 in the second as Brad Saloom hit a one-out double to center and scored on a Kevin Preau single to right.
MTSU would reclaim the lead in the bottom of the second when Jeff Beachum walked and stole second before scoring on Josh Archer's single to left.
The Cajuns knotted the game again, this time in the third. John Coker walked to start the top of the inning before swiping second and taking third on a throwing error. Leonard Guerrero doubled the opposite way to right to plate Coker pulling the Cajuns even again. Guerrero advanced 90 feet on a wild pitch before Phillip Hawke drew a walk on four straight offerings to put Cajuns on the corners. Brad Saloom was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but Williams would pitch his way out of the jam with just the one run scoring.
Brett Carroll hit a double to lead off the bottom of the fourth for the Raiders. Carroll moved to third on a wild pitch before Jeff Beachum singled to short scoring the run to pull Middle to within two.
Matt Scott came on in relief of Williams in the fifth and retired the Louisiana-Lafayette side in order.
McNamee was issued a one-out free pass in the bottom of the fifth stanza. Core; however, caught McNamee stealing for the second out in the inning before Pecoraro got Chuck Akers to hit a routine fly out to center to get out of the inning.
Phillip Hawke turned on an 0-1pitch and drove it over the wall in right-center. Hawke's solo shot, his seventh on the season, gave the Cajuns a 6-3 lead.
Micah Cockrell screamed a double down the third base line before scoring on a Preau bloop single.
Hawke added two insurance runs in the eighth with a stand-up double to right after Josh Landry doubled to left-center and Morris drew a walk putting runners on first and second. The two runs gave the visitors a 9-3 lead.
Jeff Morgan entered the game to pitch with one out in the eighth for the Cajuns. Morgan shut the door on the Blue Raiders facing only one over the minimum as the Cajuns held on to take the win.
The Cajuns and Raiders will play the series finale here tomorrow. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
