University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns: Baseball
5/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Blue Raiders'
Pitching, Hitting Bad Luck as Cajuns Falter 10-1
Friday, May 13, 2005
LAFAYETTE – Friday the 13th didn't pan out like the 18th-ranked Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns had planned, as the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders scored seven runs in the first three innings en route to a 10-1 victory here at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field. Thanks to a 13-1 loss by South Alabama at Arkansas State earlier in the night, the magic number for Louisiana-Lafayette (42-12, 13-6 Sun Belt) to clinch the outright Sun Belt Conference Regular Season Championship is now at four games. Louisiana-Lafayette was able to avoid its first shutout in over a year after Josh Landry homered in the seventh inning. The Cajuns extended their streak to 107 consecutive games without a shutout. The Cajuns were last shutout on February 22, 2004, at Texas State (Bobcats won 2-0). Middle Tennessee (26-20, 10-8 Sun Belt) continued its recent hot streak, winning its third-straight game and fifth in its last seven games. It wasn't the way he hoped for it to end, but Louisiana-Lafayette senior starting pitcher Kevin Ardoin (10-2) threw only 44 pitches through 1 2/3 innings. Ardoin allowed five runs – three runs in the first inning – on eight hits. Prior to Friday's outing, Ardoin had allowed only three runs on 10 hits in 13 previous starts in the first inning. It was also Ardoin's second loss in seven conference starts this season. Reigning Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week Matt Scott (8-1) was able to shut down one of the hottest offenses of late in the Sun Belt Conference. Scott threw his third complete game of the season, allowing one run on six hits with six strikeouts. Middle Tennessee struck a vicious blow to Louisiana-Lafayette, scoring seven runs in the first three innings to take a 7-0 lead over the Cajuns. After Eric McNamee drew a lead-off walk, Adam Darby grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Nate Jaggers, who was the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week for May 2, then singled up the middle, followed by reigning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week Michael McKenry who homered to left field to give the Blue Raiders a 2-0 lead. After Nathan Hines singled to center field, Jeff Beachum then doubled to left field, scoring Hines for a 3-0 Blue Raiders advantage. Middle Tennessee scored two more runs in the second inning, increase its lead to 5-0. Adam Warren singled with an infield chopper, followed by Josh Archer who singled to center field. McNamee then reached on a fielder's choice sacrifice bunt, while Warren who thrown out at third base. After Darby struck out, Jaggers again hurt the Cajuns with an RBI single to right field, scoring Archer to give the Blue Raiders a four-run lead. McKenry's RBI single through the left side, scoring McNamee to increase the lead to 5-0. The Blue Raiders' eighth hit of the game prompted head coach Tony Robichaux to make a pitching change, replacing Ardoin with Brandt Sanders. Ardoin's start on Friday was the shortest of his career. His previous shortest start was at Arkansas-Little Rock on April 16, 2004, when he allowed six runs on six hits in two innings. The deficit for the Cajuns grew by two runs in the third, as the Blue Raiders increased their lead to 7-0. Jeff Beachum doubled to left center field and later advanced to third on Marcus Taylor's sacrifice bunt. After Warren grounded out, Archer doubled to left field, scoring Beachum for a 6-0 lead. McNamee then singled through the left side, which allowed Archer to score to increase the Blue Raiders' lead to 7-0. Middle Tennessee enjoyed its fourth multi-run inning of the game, increasing their lead to 10-0. Jaggers continued his impressive night with a lead-off home run. After back-to-back singles from McKenry and Hines, Ian Pecoraro relieved Sanders on the mound for the Cajuns. Taylor later singled to center field, scoring McKenry to give the Blue Raiders a 9-0 lead. Hines later scored on a wild pitch to give the Blue Raiders a 10-run advantage. Louisiana-Lafayette was able to produce a run in the seventh with Landry's sixth home run of the season to cut the Blue Raiders' lead to nine runs, 10-1. But, it wasn't enough to help the Cajuns mount a comeback, as Louisiana-Lafayette lost for the fourth time at home in Sun Belt play. McKenry went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, while Jaggers went 3-for-5 with a home run two RBI to pace the Blue Raiders offensively. Five Blue Raiders batters had at least two hits. Landry and Justin Merendino each had a pair of hits, while Landry drove in the Cajuns' lone run of the game with a solo home run in the seventh inning. Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns will continue their three-game Sun Belt home series against Middle Tennessee with a 2:05 p.m. scheduled first pitch on Saturday. Saturday's game will be televised on KLAF-TV Channel 17 in the Lafayette area. Louisiana-Lafayette's Austin Faught (10-0, 2.35 ERA) will get the start against Middle Tennessee's Tyler Copeland (4-3, 4.29 ERA).
Middle Tennessee 10, Louisiana-Lafayette 1
(May 13, 2005 at Lafayette,La.)
Win-Scott(8-1) Loss-Ardoin, K(10-2) T-2:44
A-2366 -Ragin' Cajuns- |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
