Cajuns Rally to Top Texas A&M

COLLEGE STATION, Texas-Trailing 3-1 and facing one of America's best pitchers, things didn't look great for Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns in their regional contest against Texas A&M. But the Cajuns rallied for three runs in the seventh inning and another in the eighth, and held off the 10th-ranked Aggies 5-4 to move into the Regional finals in College Station, Texas.

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Aggies ace Kyle Nicholson (11-2) held the Cajuns at bay through the first six innings, allowing only three hits and one run. However, Nicholson, who had walked only 18 batters in 112.1 innings entering Saturday's contest, walked Jonathan Lucroy and Jefferies Tatford to start the seventh. Nolan Gisclair singled to load the bases with nobody out. After Matt Hicks struck out, Scott Hawkins delivered a two-run single up the middle to knot the score at 3-3. Matt Casbon followed with a single to left center to score Gisclair and give the Cajuns a 4-3 edge.

In the bottom of the eighth, Lucroy homered to left center to make it a 5-3 game. It was Lucroy's 18th of the season and gave him the all-time RBI mark of 182, breaking the sixteen year old record of Damian Grossie.

It turned out that Louisiana (45-15) would need that home run as Blake Stouffer doubled with one out in the ninth off Andrew Laughter (3-1). Craig Stinson then sent a shot to left center, but Tatford's leaping catch at the wall robbed Stinson of the potential game tying hit. Lance Anders then doubled, with Tatford almost making another dazzling play to make it 5-4 before Laughter got Dane Carter to ground out to Devon Bourque to end it and send the Cajuns to the finals.

Cajuns starter Hunter Moody was able to work out of trouble on several occasions during the game and his gutsy performance gave the Cajuns a chance to win it late. An error and bunt single put Texas A&M (45-17) in business in the first, but Moody got a flyout and groundout to end that threat.

Then in the third inning, Moody's error, a bunt single and a hit batsman loaded the bases with no one out. But Moody got Blake Stouffer looking at a third strike, got Stinson to pop up and then struck out Anders to get out of the inning.

The Aggies finally broke through in the fourth. Kyle Colligan led off the inning with his ninth home run of the year to get A&M on the board. Moody then walked Brodie Greene, who was moved to second on a sacrifice by Parker Dalton. Greene scored when leadoff man Brian Ruggiano chopped a double over the head of Cajuns' third baseman Matt Hicks to give the Aggies the lead.

Moody got out of more trouble in the sixth when Colligan singled and Greene bunted for a hit. Dalton sacrificed the runners up, but Ruggiano missed a suicide squeeze bunt attempt and Colligan was thrown out in a rundown. Ruggiano then struck out to end the threat.

Moody got the first two outs in the seventh, but Stouffer's homerun to left center gave the Aggies a 3-1 lead and Cajuns' coach Tony Robichaux went to Laughter who got out of the inning.

Nicholson went all the way for the Aggies, registering nineteen ground ball outs and five strikeouts in the game. He allowed only Gisclair's homer, his 13th of the season on three hits until the seventh.

The Cajuns now move to the regional finals and will await the winner of the Texas A&M and Ohio State game to be played at 1pm Sunday. The Cajuns will face the winner at 7:00 p.m.

-Ragin' Cajuns-

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