Pitching Solid Once Again in 4-0 Win

SAN ANTONIO, Texas ? For the first time in 24 years, two Louisiana pitchers combined for a one-hit shutout as the 19th-ranked Ragin' Cajuns scored two runs in the first inning and were able to hold on for a 4-0 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders Saturday at Wolff Stadium.

Current Louisiana head coach Tony Robichaux and former Major Leaguer Xavier Hernandez were the last two Cajun pitchers to accomplished the feat in a 6-0 season-opening win at Northwestern State on Feb. 22, 1984.

For the second game in a row, a Louisiana (2-0) pitcher tossed a six-inning masterpiece. Senior Hunter Moody (Clinton, La.) struck out nine batters, while not allowing a runner past second base; Moody (1-0) walked three Red Raiders (0-1). LSU-Eunice transfer Matt Broussard (Breaux Bridge, La.) nailed down the Cajuns' second save of the weekend, striking out four batters in three innings of relief.

Texas Tech's A.J. Ramos (0-1) was the game's hard-luck loser, allowing three runs on four hits in six innings, striking out a career-high-tying 10 batters.

Matt Hicks (Houston, Texas) went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in the first inning. Three other Cajuns tallied a hit during the morning session. Taylor Ashby earned the only hit off Moody, going 1-for-3.

Moody faced four batters in the top half of the first inning, striking out three. Texas Tech's lone baserunner in the first reached on a one-out walk and later advanced to second when Jordan Poirrier (Reserve, La.) dropped a Blaine LaFleur (Opelousas, La.) relay throw.

Ramos matched Moody's three strikeouts when he faced the Cajuns in the bottom of the first. However, the Cajuns were able to break the scoreboard early on a Hicks two-run blast over the first field fence for a 2-0 Louisiana lead. Josh Logan (Magee, Miss.) led off the game with a single to shallow left-center field before Hicks cleared the bases with his towering shot.

Texas Tech earned its first hit of the game in the second inning when Ashby drilled a one-out line drive through the left side of the infield. But, Moody retired the next two Red Raiders he faced to keep them off the scoreboard.

After giving up his first hit, Moody mowed down the next nine Texas Tech batters before allowing Monk Kreder to draw a walk. The Clinton, La. native then retired the next two to end the fifth inning.

Louisiana added to its two-run lead in the sixth inning. William Long (Valrico, Fla.) led off with a single back up the middle and then advanced to second on a Logan sacrifice bunt. Logan later scored after successive wild pitches from Ramos, giving the Cajuns a 3-0 lead.

Broussard came on in relief of Moody in the seventh inning and did so in impressive fashion, throwing just nine pitchers to retire the Texas Tech side.

The Cajuns pushed across another insurance run in the eighth on a Long RBI sacrifice fly that scored Thad Griffen (Lake Charles, La.) for a 4-0 lead.

With two runners in scoring position and two out in the ninth, Broussard a full-count strike to Kreder, ending the game to give the Cajuns a four-run win.

Louisiana will play the second half of a tournament doubleheader Saturday when the Ragin' Cajuns face the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (2-0) at 2 p.m.

Louisiana-Lafayette 4, Texas Tech 0 (Feb 23, 2008 at San Antonio, Texas)

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Texas Tech.......... 000 000 000 - 0 1 2 (0-1)

Louisiana-Lafayette. 200 001 01X - 4 5 1 (2-0)

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Pitchers: Texas Tech - Ramos, AJ; Cloud, Brian(7). Louisiana-Lafayette - Moody, Hunter; Broussard, Matt(7).

Win-Moody, Hunter(1-0) Save-Broussard, Matt(1) Loss-Ramos, AJ(0-1) T-2:15 A-158

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