Five-Run Fifth Sinks Cajuns, 5-2

SAN ANTONIO, Texas ? UTSA became the second straight team to rough up Louisiana's starting pitcher, erupting for five runs in the fifth inning as the Roadrunners defeated the 19th-ranked Ragin' Cajuns 5-2 Sunday afternoon at Roadrunner Field.

Louisiana (2-2) suffered its second straight loss at the UTSA Baseball Classic, while UTSA (2-1) has won back-to-back games in the tournament.

Louisiana starter Buddy Glass (Clermont, Fla.) was brilliant through the first four innings, but became the second Cajuns pitcher in as many games to suffer in the fifth inning. Glass (0-1) suffered the loss after allowing five runs ? four earned ? on three hits with seven strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

Redshirt freshman Randall Bulliard (Lafayette, La.) pitched 1 2/3 innings in relief, surrendering just one hit with three strikeouts.

UTSA's Ryan Proudfoot earned the victory, allowing two runs on three hits with six strikeouts in five innings of work. J.P. Holton allowed just one hit in three innings of middle relief, striking out six Cajuns. Zach Calhoon earned the save, retiring the side in the ninth.

Louisiana managed just four hits at the plate, as four different Cajuns recorded a hit. The Cajuns struck out 14 times Sunday afternoon.

Six different Roadrunners recorded a hit, while Aaron Powell went 1-for-3 with a two-RBI triple.

After two scoreless innings, Louisiana cracked the scoreboard first via a UTSA throwing error, allowing the Cajuns to take a 1-0 lead in the third. With one out and a 2-2 count on Tyler Benzel (Groveland, Fla.), William Long (Valrico, Fla.) got a great jump from second on a designed hit-and-run play.

UTSA catcher Zach Etheredge's throw to third sailed wide of third baseman Ryan Rummel which permitted Long to score the Cajuns' first run.

Glass retired the first 10 batters he faced before Tim Palincsar reached on a single to left field in the bottom of the fourth inning. Michael Rockett then reached on a fielder's choice after Matt Hicks' (Houston, Texas) attempt to turn a double play flew past Justin Robichaux (Crowley, La.) at first base.

But, the senior hurler got Trent Lockwood to ground out to Robichaux, ending the Roadrunner threat in the fourth.

Louisiana doubled its lead in the fifth, 2-0. Dillon Guillory (Scott, La.) recorded his first career hit, lacing a double into the left-center gap. Guillory would advance to third on a Proudfoot balk and later scored on a Josh Logan (Magee, Miss.) on a RBI sacrifice fly to centerfield.

For the second consecutive outing, a Cajuns pitcher struggled to get out of the fifth inning. After disposing of UTSA's lead-off hitter, Glass hit Etheredge with a pitch and later walked Rummel before Powell delivered a two-RBI triple to the right-center gap.

UTSA then took its first lead of the game, 3-2, on a Lance Brown a RBI single through the left side on the infield, scoring Powell. Three batters later, Rockett singled up the middle to score Brown; however, on the play, Rockett advanced to third and James Keithley scored on a Logan fielding error in center for a 5-2 UTSA advantage.

Bulliard kept the Roadrunners off the scoreboard during his first full inning of relief in the sixth, holding the score steady at 5-2. UTSA's pitchers silenced the Ragin' Cajuns at the plate in the last four innings of the game to solidify the three-run victory.

Louisiana returns to the field Wednesday when the Ragin' Cajuns travel to New Orleans to face the Tulane Green Wave at Turchin Stadium. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.

Texas-San Antonio 5, Louisiana-Lafayette 2 (Feb 24, 2008 at San Antonio, Texas)

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Louisiana-Lafayette. 001 010 000 - 2 4 2 (2-2)

Texas-San Antonio... 000 050 00X - 5 6 2 (2-1)

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Pitchers: Louisiana-Lafayette - Glass, Buddy; Bulliard, Randall(5); Wagley, Luke(7);

Cook, Michael(8). Texas-San Antonio - Proudfoot, Ryan; Holton, J.P.(6); Calhoon, Zach(9).

Win-Proudfoot, Ryan(1-0) Save-Calhoon, Zach(1) Loss-Glass, Buddy(0-1) T-2:33 A-331

-www.RaginCajuns.com-

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