University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
McNeese State
Bullpen Costs Cajuns Against Cowboys
3/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Five run eighth inning lifts McNeese State to a 5-4 win over UL.
LAKE CHARLES, La.-Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns baseball team blew a 4-0 lead on Wednesday night at Cowboy Diamond as the bullpen collapsed once again.
Leading 4-0 in the eighth inning, the Ragin' Cajuns bullpen collapsed once again. The bullpen allowed five runs on four hits, three wild pitches and a balk.
The bullpen cost the Cajuns a win against Illinois in the Baseball Express Collegiate Baseball Classic. UL had an 8-0 lead before falling to the Illini 14-12 on Friday, March 10.
With the loss, the Cajuns fall to 8-6 on the season. The win gives McNeese State a 10-8 record.
The Cajuns bullpen once again struggled on the night. Relief pitcher Justin Randa allowed a leadoff single and walked the next Cowboy batter to give McNeese State a pair of baserunners with no outs. A wild pitch advanced the runners to scoring position. The Cowboys scored as a balk was called.
Jonathan Cottrell entered the game to pitch. Cottrell induced a groundout which scored a run. The Cajuns then walked the next McNeese batter and allowed the runner to advance to second base on a passed ball by Lucroy. Cottrell proceeded to walk the next batter and allow the runners to advance on a wild pitch. Shon Landry singled to third base to score another run. Following a stolen base, the Cowboys tied the game on a wild pitch.
David Leatherwood gave McNeese State the lead as he hit a double off of the leftfield wall. The double marked the first extra base hit UL allowed in the game.
The Cajuns used a pair of walks and a hit batter to load the bases in the top of the ninth but were unable to plate a runner.
With two outs in the top of the first inning, Josh Landry singled up the middle to give the Cajuns their first baserunner of the evening. Landry stole second and advanced to third base on a wild pitch. The senior would come around to score on a passed ball giving UL a 1-0 lead.
The Cajuns added another run in the second inning. Freshman Scott Hawkins singled up the middle and stole second base giving UL a runner in scoring position. Grant Derouen, a native of Lake Charles, laced a double down the leftfield line to plate Hawkins.
With one out in the top of the third inning, Landry slipped a ball through the right side for his second hit of the game. Jonathan Lucroy doubled off of the right-centerfield fence to score Landry. Lucroy advanced to third base on a groundout. The catcher came around to score on a throwing error by the second baseman pushing the UL lead to 4-0.
The 4-0 lead would hold until the pivotal eighth inning.
Freshman pitcher Danny Farquhar was effective in his second start of the year. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native pitched 6.0 scoreless innings. Farquhar scattered six hits, all of which were singles, fanning five Cowboy batters. He walked one batter and hit a batter. The righthander only allowed two McNeese batters to advance past first base. He did not factor in the decision as the bullpen struggled.
Landry finished the game with three hits and a pair for runs scored, but it would not be enough as the Cajuns fell.
UL returns to action on Friday, March 17 as they open a three-game series with Minnesota. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
