LAFAYETTE ? A season that began with so much promise ended in heartbreaking fashion Saturday afternoon. Less than eight hours after suffering their first loss of the tournament, the host Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns were eliminated 6-5 by the second-seeded New Orleans Privateers in Game 13 of the 2008 Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field.
Louisiana (30-29) fell one game behind of advancing to its second straight Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship game, but the Cajuns' season ended with back-to-back losses to the Privateers Saturday. Since enduring a 12-run defeat in its tournament opener, New Orleans (42-18) played its first nine-inning contest of the weekend. The Privateers had been a part of three run-rule seven-inning contests and one 10-inning affair.
Sun Belt Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year Danny Farquhar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) surrendered two two-run innings before suffering the loss. Farquhar (3-8) struck out eight batters, allowing five runs on seven hits in six innings. Justin Robichaux (Crowley, La.) allowed just one run on one hit ? a solo home run ? through three innings of solid relief.
Matt Goulas (New Iberia, La.) went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI. Nick Schwaner paced the Privateers, finishing 3-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs. Josh Vander Hey also added two hits, going 2-for-4 with a RBI.
UNO's Jake Henderson (7-1) nailed down the victory, scattering two runs on two hits in four innings of middle relief. Ryan O'Shea earned his 13th save of the season, allowing one run on four hits in 1 2/3 innings.
New Orleans once again didn't waste any time jumping ahead of the Cajuns, taking a 2-0 lead in the second. After Farquhar successfully retired the side in the first, Johnny Giavotella doubled down the right field line before scoring on a Vander Hey RBI double. Vander Hey later scored on a passed ball by Blaine LaFleur (Opelousas, La.) for a 2-0 lead.
The Cajuns pulled even in the bottom of the second inning, 2-2. With one out, Jordan Poirrier (Reserve, La.) dropped a first-pitch single into center field. Chance Harst (Lafayette, La.) then plated the first Cajuns run of the day with a RBI double to left that scored Poirrier.
William Long (Valrico, Fla.) followed with a RBI sacrifice fly to tie the game at 2-2.
In the third, Nick Schwaner put the Privateers back on top, 3-2, with a solo home run over the right field wall. UNO added two insurance runs in the sixth behind a two-RBI single from Alan Harris for a 5-2 Privateers lead.
Schwaner put an end to any possible late-inning Cajun rally with a solo home run to right for a 6-2 lead in the eighth inning. Schwaner's second home run of the game came off reliever the Robichaux ? his first home run and only his second extra-base hit allowed this season.
Goulas drove in the Cajuns' first runs since the second inning with a two-run home run to left field, cutting UNO's lead to 6-4 in the eighth. Louisiana later had runners at the corners with two outs, but Harst checked his swing and hit a slow-rolling nubber in front of the plate to end the inning.
Louisiana cut the UNO lead in half, 6-5, in the ninth and had a chance to win it with the bases loaded and two out, but Nolan Gisclair (Marrero, La.) grounded out to end the game and the Cajuns' season.
New Orleans earned the right to advance to Sunday's championship game against the FAU-WKU winner Saturday night. The Sun Belt title game will air live on CST (Cox Channel 37) with Lyn Rollins (PxP) and Ron Swoboda (Color) at 10 a.m.
New Orleans 6, Louisiana-Lafayette 5 (May 24, 2008 at Lafayette, La.)
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New Orleans......... 020 102 010 - 6 8 2 (42-18)
Louisiana-Lafayette. 020 000 021 - 5 10 1 (30-29)
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Pitchers: New Orleans - McGonigle, Jim; Henderson, Jake(4); O'Shea, Ryan(8).
Louisiana-Lafayette - Farquhar, Danny; Robichaux, Justin(7).
Win-Henderson, Jake(7-1) Save-O'Shea, Ryan(13) Loss-Farquhar, Danny(3-8) T-2:47 A-2127
HR UNO - Schwaner, Nick 2.
HR UL - Goulas, Matt (7).
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