University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
* South Alabama
Cajuns Fall In Regular Season Finale
5/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Mobile, Ala.-The University of South Alabama Jaguars came out on top of a seesaw matchup by a 10-7 final count Sunday afternoon at Stanky Field. The Cajuns and Jags went back-and-fourth before USA opened things up with a seventh.
The Jags went up 10-7 in the bottom of the seventh when Guillermo Martinez snuck a seeing-eye single up the middle to score Jansen Rayborn. Jansen Rayborn hit a double to center and took third on an infield groundout.
Gus Mendez drew a walk with Martinez on base. Martinez scored on an infield error to give USA a two-run lead.
Thad Montgomery came on in relief of Brandt Sanders after a Clark Secchiari base hit scored Mendez putting the Jags up 10-7.
Montgomery put Adam Lind on with a walk, but came back to get Josh Touchstone with a routine flyout to center, ending the inning.
Jeramy Simmons (9-4) started the game and got the win for USA tossing seven inning allowing seven runs (four earned) while striking out 13 Cajuns. Justin Rayborn entered the game in relief to pick up his third save of the season.
The loss went to Cajuns lefty Brandt Sanders (1-4) who allowed three earned runs on seven hits through three innings of work.
With the loss, Louisiana-Lafayette falls to 31-21 overall and 11-11 in conference play.
Phillip Hawke singled into left-center driving in Josh Landry who reached second on a Martinez throwing error to start the game. Rhett Buras continued on his torrid pace by ripping the ball over the fence in left for his eighth jack of the season. Buras's shot drove in Hawke giving the Cajuns a 3-0 lead.
Ian Pecoraro, who got the start for the Cajuns, walked in a run and gave up a run on a sacrifice. The runs came after issuing a free pass to Brad Gordon on four straight offerings to start the bottom half of the first. A pair of singles from Lind and Touchstone loaded the bases.
In the top of the third, Landry and Brad Saloom reached base with singles before Hawke drew a walk to load the bases with no outs for Buras. Simmons fooled Buras low and got him to chase one for strike three.
Justin Bourque drove in Landry with a fielder's choice upping the Louisiana-Lafayette lead to 4-2.
The Jaguars tied the game in the bottom of the third on a Quendon Montgomery RBI single and a Jansen Rayborn double that came after Pecoraro missed low with a payoff pitch to Touchstone. Touchstone advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Gordon homered with two gone in the bottom of the fourth giving the Jaguars their first lead of the afternoon.
Secchiari kept the inning alive when he reached base on an infield error.
With Secchiari on, Pecoraro was lifted for Brandt Sanders. Sanders got Lind to bounce out to second to get out of the inning.
Bourque went deep to center with a two-run shot after Saloom reached base on another Martinez throwing error. Bourque's fifth homerun of the season gave UL Lafayette a 6-5 lead.
The Cajuns' advantage wouldn't hold for long. Touchstone led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo shot that knotted things at six.
The Jaguars reclaimed the lead with some two-out hitting in the bottom of the sixth. Gordon placed a two-out single into short right-center before Secchiari reached on a single of his own. Lind knocked a base hit to right plating Gordon to give South Alabama a 7-6 lead.
Bourque's second homerun of the game came in the top of the seventh and pulling the two squads even again, this time at 7-7.
Bourque had to be lifted from the game after a knee-to-knee collision with third base umpire Steve Dew as Bourque was tracking a foul ball.
Justin Rayborn started the eighth on the hill for South Alabama and closed out the visiting team.
Today's game marked the final match of the regular season for the Ragin' Cajuns. UL Lafayette will have a two-day stay over in Mobile and prepare for the Dodge Sun Belt Conference Baseball Tournament, which begins Wednesday at Stanky Field.
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