University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns: Baseball
2/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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Cajuns
Take 10-0 Season Opening Win Over Louisiana Tech
Friday, February 11, 2005
LAFAYETTE – Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns baseball team extending its season opening win streak to eight games and its home opening win streak to 12 games after the Cajuns' 10-0 win here Friday night over Louisiana Tech in front of 3,121 fans at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field. Louisiana-Lafayette (1-0) is now 9-2 under head coach Tony Robichaux in home openers and 11-0 in season openers. The season opener also marked the return of former Ragin' Cajuns assistant coach and current Louisiana Tech head coach Wade Simoneaux to Lafayette. UL Lafayette starting pitcher Kevin Ardoin (1-0) earned the win, allowing one hit with eight strikeouts over seven complete innings. Ardoin took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, but Louisiana Tech third baseman Ryan Hamilton hit a lazy fly ball over Dallas Morris' head to break-up Ardoin's no-hit attempt. The last Cajuns no-hitter was thrown by Jerry Bourgeois on Feb. 14, 1988. Bourgeois pitched a complete-game with six strikeouts in a 10-1 win over Southern. Ardoin now has 216 career strikeouts and is 11 strikeouts away from tying Xavier Hernandez for fifth all-time in career strikeouts (227). In last season's season opener, Ardoin went five innings allowing one run on four hits with eight strikeouts in a no-decision against Louisiana-Monroe. In 2003, Ardoin earned a season-opening save against Texas State (then Southwest Texas State). Louisiana Tech (3-1) starting pitcher Clayton Meyer (1-1) received the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits with six strikeouts in five innings of work. After a dormant first two and a half innings, senior catcher Adam Massiatte sent a one-out single to shallow center field for the game's first hit. John Coker followed with an RBI triple to right center field to give the Cajuns a 1-0 lead. Second baseman Justin Merendino then sent an RBI double past a diving Ryan Hamilton to increase the Cajuns lead to 2-0. Josh Landry grounded out to first and Dallas Morris flied out to center to end the third inning. Similar to the bottom of the third, the Cajuns offense came alive again in the fifth. Designed hitter Jefferies Tatford led off with a double to right field. Following an Adam Massiatte sacrifice bunt that advanced Tatford to third, Coker drew a walk. Merendino then sent an RBI double to center field, scoring Tatford to increase the Cajuns lead to 3-0. Landry then singled to left center, scoring Merendino and Coker to give the Cajuns a 5-0 lead. Landry was picked off at first for the inning's second out. Morris then singled through the left side and advanced to second on a throwing error by left fielder Jason Santiago. Hawke struck out to end the inning. The Cajuns added two runs in the seventh and three in the eighth to ensure the resulting 10-0 victory. Merendino, Tatford and Massiatte each had two hits. Merendino, Landry and Hawke each added two RBI. Louisiana-Lafayette returns to action Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. against the Bulldogs; both games will be nine innings. There will be a 30 minute intermission after game one. Louisiana-Lafayette 10,
Louisiana Tech 0 (Feb 11, 2005 at Lafayette) -- Ragin' Cajuns -- |
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