Cajuns Drop Finale, Series In Extras

JONESBORO, Ark. ? With a consistent 25-30 mph wind from centerfield and gusts up to 40 mph, Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns had a hard time putting hits back-to-back and ultimately lost a 3-2 extra-innings decision to Arkansas State on a wild pitch. The Cajuns lost the series 1-2. They drop to 5-7-1 overall and 1-2 in Sun Belt action following the conference-opening weekend.

Travis Whipple picked up two of Louisiana's five hits in the 10-inning affair, accounting for one run himself in three at bats. Others reaching on hits included Scott Hawkins (1-3), Chad Keefer (1-4) and Greg Fontenot (1-5). No one registered any RBIs, with one run coming on an error and the other following a wild pitch.

Randall Bulliard (0-2) took the loss, responsible for a bases-loaded, game-ending wild pitch in the 10th. He went 1/3 of an inning, allowing one run, earned, on one hit, two walks and no strikeouts. Greg Wilborn was the starting pitcher, leaving after four innings having allowed two runs, both earned, on four walks, four hits and five strikeouts.

Other pitchers to take the mound included the twin Blakes of Wascom and Haagen. Wascom threw 2 1/3 solid innings, allowing no runs on two hits while neither striking out nor walking anyone. Haagen was just as effective, throwing 2 1/3 and giving up no runs on just one hit, with one walk against five strikeouts in ten batters faced.

Arkansas State's Nick Lambert (1-0) earned the win in just 1/3 of an inning, inducing a pop-up from Fontenot to end the Cajuns' 10th.

Each team had trouble moving runners facing the stiff wind, with a total of 13 hits between the two teams and 27 runners left on base. The Red Wolves left 15 on, while the Cajuns stranded 12.

Arkansas State opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with an RBI single up the middle from Brandon Eller, scoring a runner from third to make it a 1-0 game.

The Cajuns plated their first in the next frame, when Greg Fontenot ripped a grounder that squirted up and over Wolves' second baseman Giovanni Garcia and scored Travis Whipple from second. Garcia was charged with a fielding error on the play, which evened the score at 1-1.

Louisiana gifted the Red Wolves a run in the third to put them ahead 2-1. With two down, Wilborn walked two in a row with a runner on to load the bases, and then hit the next batter with a pitch to bring the run in.

In the bottom of the sixth, Travis Whipple gunned down a runner trying to score from second, the third time in the series a Red Wolves runner was caught at home on a throw from the outfield.

In the eighth inning, the Cajuns got help from Arkansas State in tying the game up at two. Chad Keefer singled, and was replaced at second by Brian Bowman after Whipple was hit by a pitch. Bowman scored from second on two wild pitches in Tyler Benzel's at bat for the 2-2 stalemate.

The game nearly ended in the bottom of the ninth, when with two runners on, the Wolves' Derrick Coleman smashed a ball into left center. The heavy winds caught it and forced back towards the foul pole in left, but if it stayed fair it had a chance. Home plate umpire Kevin Bradley ruled it a foul ball amid much protest, and a few pitches later, Haagen struck Coleman out swinging.

Tied at 2-2, the game went to extra innings. The Cajuns were quiet in their half of the 10^th, but Arkansas State was not. After loading the bases, Randall Bulliard threw a wild pitch, allowing the game-winning run to score easily from third.

The Ragin' Cajuns have a brief respite before heading to Baton Rouge, La., for a midweek engagement with the top-ranked LSU Fighting Tigers on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., the first meeting between the Cajuns and Tigers in the new Alex Box stadium. Listen in to SportsRadio ESPN 1420 KPEL-AM for Jay Walker's call over the air or on the Internet at ESPN1420.com. Live statistics will also be available on RaginCajuns.com.

NOTES

· This series marks the second year in a row the Cajuns have dropped their Sun Belt opening series to Arkansas State. In 2008, it was a three-game sweep March 8 (DH) and 9.

· Kyle Olasin made his first start as the leadoff hitter Sunday, fulfilling his preseason expectations for the first time since undergoing offseason surgery for a medical condition on his hand.

· Olasin walked as the game's first batter, the first time the Cajuns' leadoff hitter reached safely since Tuesday, March 3, against Houston, when Alex Fuselier singled off of John Touchton and later scored on a Travis Whipple double.

· Red Wolves' starting pitcher Derek Riley threw four walks in the span of 10 hitters through the second inning. Three alone came in the second inning, helping load the bases for the Cajuns, though Alex Fuselier flied out to left to end the threat.

· Wilborn's second inning sequence of two walks and a hit by pitch represents the eighth and ninth instances of back-to-back free passes for the Cajuns' pitching staff this season. It is the first back-to-back-to-back instance.

· Greg Fontenot broke an 0-for-18 slump with his base hit in the third. He had not hit safely since going 3-for-5 against Southern Miss last Sunday, March 1, 2009.

· Sunday's loss was the second Sunday game to go to extra-innings in three weekends. The Cajuns went past nine with Nebraska on Sunday, Feb. 22, in a game which ended in a 5-5 tie in the 10th due to Nebraska's travel arrangements.

LINE SCORE

Arkansas State 3, Louisiana 2 (Mar 08, 2009 at Jonesboro, Ark)

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Louisiana........... 010 000 010 0 -  2  5  0      (5-7-1, 1-2)

Arkansas State...... 110 000 000 1 -  3  8  1      (4-6, 2-1)

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Pitchers: Louisiana - Wilborn, Greg; Wascom, Blake(5);

Haagen, Blake(7); Bulliard, Randall(10).

Arkansas State - Riley, D.; Blackburn(3); Ferguson, An(8);

Lambert, C.(9); Lambert, N.(10).

Win-Lambert, N.(1-0)  Loss-Bulliard, Randall(0-2)  T-3:10  A-376

Riley, D. faced 1 batter in the 3rd.

Wilborn, G faced 1 batter in the 5th.

-www.ragincajuns.com-

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