University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Cajuns Complete Sweep of Islanders
4/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Cajuns scored nine runs on 13 hits to slide by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
LAFAYETTE-Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns baseball team improved its winning streak to three games as they completed the sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Sunday afternoon at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field. The Cajuns (19-12) collected a dozen hits on the afternoon and won 9-5.
The Ragin' Cajuns offense continued to excel on Sunday. The UL batters collected 12 hits on the afternoon and scored nine runs to down TAMUCC.
Leading the way for the Cajuns were seniors John McCarthy and Alex Preciado. The duo both had three hits each on the day. Preciado led the Cajuns with two of Louisiana's four doubles.
Jonathan Lucroy and Josh Landry also had multiple hits in the game. Lucroy finished the day with two runs on two hits and an RBI, while Landry collected two hits and scored a run.
Jefferies Tatford led all Cajuns with three runs batted in on the day. The junior first baseman had a two RBI single and plated a run as he was struck by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Starting pitcher Jason Fernandez earned the win pitching 7.0 innings. He scattered eight hits on the afternoon and allowed just one unearned run on the day. Fernandez fanned 11 batters and only issued two free passes in the game.
Brandt Sanders and Chad Beck both pitched an inning of relief. The pair allowed four runs ? two earned runs ? on five hits, including a homerun. Sanders struck out three batters and Beck ended the game with a strikeout.
For the second straight day, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi saw their first batter of the game reach base because of a UL error. This time however, the Islanders would make the Cajuns' mistake a costly one. David Williams reached base on a UL error and advanced to second on a groundout. Corpus Christi's Randy Aguayo singled through the right side to plate Williams and give the Islanders their first run of the series.
The Cajuns responded in the bottom of the first. With two outs, Lucroy drew a base on balls to give the Ragin' Cajuns a base runner. Preciado hit an RBI double to right centerfield to plate Lucroy and knot the score at 1-1.
UL added some runs in the third inning. Devon Bourque walked and advanced to second as Lucroy singled up the middle. Preciado advanced the runners as he reached base on a throwing error by Islanders' shortstop. Tatford singled to center field to bring Bourque and Lucroy around to score.
In the fourth inning, Landry led off the inning with a single through the right side. Jameson Parker doubled to left field to give the Cajuns a pair of runners in scoring position. McCarthy plated Landry as he singled to right field advancing Parker to third base. McCarthy attempted to steal and the catcher's throw was off the mark and headed to centerfield. The errant throw allowed McCarthy to reach second safely and Parker to score giving the Cajuns a 5-1 edge.
Scott Hawkins led off the fifth inning with a walk. Tatford sacrificed Hawkins to second to give the Cajuns a runner in scoring position. Following a Devery Van De Keere walk, Landry reached base on a fielder's choice that advanced Hawkins to third base. While attempting to turn the double play, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi threw the ball away, which allowed Hawkins to score pushing the Cajuns lead to 6-1.
The Cajuns added some insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. McCarthy led off the inning with a single to right field. Bourque reached base on a fielder's choice as the Islanders were attempting to throw McCarthy out at second. An errant throw saw both baserunners safe and allowed McCarthy to not only reach second base, but advance to second base. Lucroy hit a ball to centerfield that was deep enough to score McCarthy on the sacrifice fly. Preciado singled through the left side to advance Bourque to second base and a Hawkins walk loaded the bases for the Ragin' Cajuns. Tatford was hit by his team leading 11th pitch to plate Bourque. Van De Keere hit the second sacrifice fly of the inning to plate Preciado and give the Cajuns a 9-1 lead.
Sanders entered the game in the eighth inning in relief of Fernandez. The senior started off shaky as he gave up a solo homerun to Clint Galloway to start the inning. Sanders surrendered a single to the next batter before striking out three of the next four batters he faced.
In the ninth inning, Beck entered the game to close things out for the Cajuns. The first batter of the inning reached base on a fielding error and came around to score as Beck surrendered a double. A groundout advanced the runner to third base. With two strikes on the batter, Beck left a pitch in the strike zone that was hit to right centerfield for a triple. The runner scored as Beck induced a groundout for the second out of the inning. Beck finished the inning off and preserved the win for the Cajuns as he struck out the next Texas A&M-Corpus Christi batter.
The Cajuns hit the road during the week for a pair of games. The Ragin' Cajuns head north to Monroe for a game against Louisiana-Monroe on Tuesday, April 11 at 6:30 p.m. UL remains on the road for a Wednesday game with Louisiana Tech. The Cajuns and Bulldogs will square off against one another in a game scheduled for 3 p.m.
-Ragin' Cajuns-
