University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Illinois
Cajuns Build Early Lead, Illinois Rallies Off the Bullpen
3/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Louisiana-Lafayette bullpen allowed 11 runs on eight hits, nine walks and four wild pitches.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns baseball team watched an 8-0 lead disappear as the bullpen collapsed against Illinois at the Baseball Express Collegiate Baseball Classic on Friday, March 10 at Nelson Wolff Memorial Stadium.
The Cajuns (6-4) fell to the Fighting Illini (4-3) by a final score of 14-12.
Starting pitcher Greg Wilborn was once again up and down in his third start of the season. The freshman pitched a career high 4.0 innings before being pulled in the fifth inning with no outs. For the second straight game, the southpaw left the game with the bases loaded and once again the bullpen allowed all three runs to score.
The Cajuns bullpen was shaky throughout the final five innings. The bullpen allowed eleven runs on eight hits. They combined for nine walks, throwing four wild pitches.
Brandt Sanders (1-1) took the loss for the Cajuns despite being one of the most effective pitchers out of the bullpen. Sanders was responsible for three runs in 1.1 innings of work including the go-ahead run.
The poor play of the bullpen overshadowed the career day of second baseman Tim Santiago. The junior was 4-for-5 on the day with a pair of homeruns, including an inside-the-park homer, and a pair of doubles. Santiago had five runs batted in and also scored three runs.
The Cajuns collected a season high 20 hits in the game. Seniors John McCarthy and Jameson Parker both had three hits to go along with Santiago's four hits. Five of the Cajuns six remaining batters had two hits apiece. Grant Derouen was the only UL batter who did not have a hit in the game.
The Cajuns broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the second inning. With one out in the inning, Jefferies Tatford was hit by a pitch to give UL their first base runner of the morning. Santiago doubled to centerfield to plate Tatford for the first run of the game. The Cajuns used a string of singles to plate two more runners to give UL a 3-0 advantage after two innings.
UL added three more runs in the bottom of the third inning to increase their lead. Josh Landry led off the inning with a triple to left centerfield. Landry came around to score as a result of a Jonathan Lucroy double. Tatford would single to give UL runners at the corners. With two men on, Santiago doubled to center field for the second time in as many innings to give the Ragin' Cajuns a 6-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Parker ripped a double down the right field line. A single by Landry advanced Parker to third base. Parker and Landry would score for the Cajuns thanks to a double by Lucroy and a single by Tatford.
The Cajuns would allow four runs in the top of the fifth inning, but UL added two runs in the bottom half of the inning. The Ragin' Cajuns would use three hits and a sacrifice fly to score two runs to keep Louisiana's lead at 10-4.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Santiago increased the Cajuns lead with an inside-the-park homerun. The junior second baseman hit a deep ball to center field that bounced off the wall. The homer was the first career homerun for Santiago at UL.
With the Cajuns leading 11-4, the Fighting Illini tied the game with a seven-run seventh inning. Illinois used three hits, four walks and an error to score seven runs and tie the Cajuns at 11-11.
Illinois took the lead in the top of the eighth inning. With two runners on and two outs, the Illini's Joe Bonadonna hit a ball just out of reach of Landry in left-centerfield. Both Illinois baserunners scored to give the Fighting Illini their first lead of the game at 13-11.
Louisiana cut the deficit to just one in the bottom of the eighth inning as Santiago hit his second homerun of the day. The solo homerun cut the lead to 13-12 with one inning remaining.
The Illini added a run in the top of the ninth to extend the lead back to two runs at 14-12.
In the bottom half of the inning with two outs, the Cajuns used a pair of hits to put the tying run on base. With runners on the corners and two outs, the Ragin' Cajuns were unable to generate any offense to plate the runners.
The Cajuns will return to action in the Baseball Express Collegiate Baseball Classic on Saturday, March 11. UL will face Texas A&M at 3 p.m. at Wolff Stadium.
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