University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Middle Tennessee
Missed Opportunities Cost Cajuns versus Middle Tennessee
5/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Thursday, May 25, 2006
BOWLING GREEN, Ky.-Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns and Middle Tennessee had met six times in the last four Sun Belt Conference Tournaments with the Blue Raiders winning all but one of those games. This year's meeting was no different as Middle Tennessee downed the Cajuns by a score of 5-2.
Trailing 5-1 in the top of the ninth inning, the Cajuns managed to load the bases twice, but were only able to plate one runner as UL dropped to 38-19 on the season.
The Cajuns had plenty of opportunities, but were unable to capitalize. The Ragin' Cajuns left 12 runners stranded on base, and UL had nine baserunners in scoring position that did not come around to score.
The Ragin' Cajuns have not won their first two games of the SBC Tournament, since the conference moved to a two bracket format. The last time the Cajuns won their first two tournament games was 1999 in New Orleans at Zephyr Field. That year, the Cajuns beat Arkansas-Little Rock, 10-0, before downing Western Kentucky by a score of 9-2.
Only senior outfielder Alex Preciado had more than one hit, as the Cajuns only collected just five hits as a team. Preciado had two hits on the day and reached on a fielder's choice to lead the Cajuns. Devery Van De Keere used a ground out and a fielder's choice to collect UL's only two RBI of the afternoon. Van De Keere helped Devon Bourque score twice as the second baseman was the only Ragin' Cajuns player to cross home plate.
After being shutdown in the first two innings, the Ragin' Cajuns got something going in the third inning. Bourque doubled down the leftfield line to get things started for UL. After John McCarthy was hit by a pitch, Jameson Parker drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases. A Van De Keere ground ball scored Bourque and gave the Cajuns a 1-0 lead.
The Blue Raiders tied the game in the bottom of the third inning. Middle Tennessee led off the inning with a double and followed that with a single to give MTSU runners on the corners. A sacrifice fly tied the game at 1-1, but the Cajuns escaped any further damage turning an inning ending double play with the very next batter.
The Cajuns threatened in the top of the fourth inning. Preciado bunted down the third base line for a single. Jefferies Tatford moved Preciado over to second base on a sacrifice bunt. A ground ball moved the runner to third base. Scott Hawkins drew a four-pitch walk to give the Ragin' Cajuns runners on the corners. A well-struck ground ended the inning and the UL threat.
Middle Tennessee took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Blue Raiders lead off the inning with a pair of singles. The Cajuns recorded the first out with a popup in between the pitcher's mound and home plate. MTSU successfully executed the safety squeeze to take a 2-1 lead. With two outs and a runner on base, Matt Campbell hit the first pitch he saw to deep left field and over the wall for a two-run homerun. The homerun increased the Raiders lead to 4-1 after four innings of play.
The Ragin' Cajuns threatened once again in the top of the sixth inning, but were unable to cut the lead. Jonathan Lucroy led off the inning with a single through the left side of the infield. With one out, Tatford singled through the right side to move Lucroy to second base. The runners advanced to second and third on a groundout to first base. With two outs, the Blue Raiders ended the threat with a fly ball to left field.
After Glass surrendered a four-pitch walk to lead off the seventh inning, the Cajuns went to their bullpen. Gregory Harmon entered the game in relief of Glass. Harmon recorded a fielder's choice for the first out of the inning and got a ground ball to retire the second batter. With a runner on second base, a pitch got away from Lucroy and allowed the runner to move to third base. A single allowed the runner to score and increase the MTSU lead to four runs at 5-1.
Glass exited the game tossing six innings, scattering eight hits and allowing five runs. Only four of the runs charged to the sophomore were earned. Glass walked two and only struck out two batters on the day. He ultimately took the loss for the Cajuns as UL was unable to rally from the deficit.
The Cajuns threatened in the top of the eighth inning. Van De Keere led off the inning and was hit by a pitch. Lucroy walked to give the Cajuns a pair of baserunners. Preciado tried to lay down the sacrifice bunt, but the pitcher fielded the ball and went to third base to retire the lead runner. A fly ball recorded the second out, but was not deep enough to advance the runners. Josh Landry stepped up to the plate and hit a deep fly ball to leftfield. The Middle Tennessee left fielder dove at the warning track and made a circus catch to end the inning and rob the Ragin' Cajuns of a pair of runs.
UL tried to rally in the top of the ninth inning. Bourque drew his team leading 46th walk of the year with one out. McCarthy followed that with a ground ball to the second baseman. The second baseman mishandled the ball and allowed McCarthy to reach safely and Bourque to move to third base. Parker walked to load the bases. Van De Keere stepped up to the plate representing the tying run. With a 1-1 count, he hit into a fielder's choice. Parker was called out at second base, but Bourque came around to score. Trailing by three runs, Lucroy stepped to the plate with runners on the corners. The sophomore catcher drew a walk to load the bases for the second time in the inning. Preciado stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded but his ground ball up the middle was fielded in time to record the final out of the game.
The Ragin' Cajuns will return to action and face South Alabama in an elimination game on Friday morning at 9 a.m. at Nick Denes Field in Bowling Green, Ky. The Cajuns and Jaguars met earlier this season in Mobile, Ala. USA took 2-of-3 games from UL in the only conference series of the year that the Ragin' Cajuns did not win.
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