University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Tulane
Cajuns Win Sixth Straight On Whipple Slam
4/7/2009 5:00:00 AM | Baseball
NEW ORLEANS ? Justin Robichaux
moved up one spot in the Cajuns' record books Tuesday night, while Travis Whipple
belted the team's first grand slam of the season as the Cajuns logged their
sixth straight win in comeback fashion, taking down the Tulane Green Wave by a
final score of 6-3 in New Orleans.
The
win is the Cajuns' sixth in a row, all come-from-behind, for the season's
longest winning streak. Justin Robichaux pitched the last two innings to earn
his second save of the season, moving him into a second-place tie with Danny Farquhar (2006-08) in career saves at 11.
Whipple's
grand slam was his sixth on the year, and the Cajuns first of the season.
Chance Harst was the last Cajun to hit a grand slam, parking one during the Sun
Belt Conference tournament on May 23, 2008, versus South Alabama.
Offensively,
the Cajuns were led by Greg Fontenot, who continued his incredible week with a
3-for-4 night with one RBI as the only Cajun with multiple hits, while Kyle Olasin
kept a hitting streak alive, now at 13 straight games. He added the Cajuns only
other RBI on his 1-for-3 night.
Greg
Harmon started the game but left too early to earn a decision, going four
innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits, four strikeouts and three
walks. He kept Tulane hitless through two innings, allowing the first base
runner in the first at bat of the third inning.
Blake Haagen earned the win, moving to 2-0 on the season. He pitched the fifth and
sixth innings, allowing just one run on three hits with two strikeouts and two
walks. Blake Wascom threw one perfect inning before Robichaux entered and
closed the game out with two innings of one-hit work, notching two strikeouts.
Greg Fontenot opened scoring in the top of the second with a short single to left
field, allowing Chad Keefer to score from third.
After
two hitless innings, Harmon allowed the first batter of the third to reach on a
single. The runner moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and evened the game at
1-1 on a Matt Ryan RBI single. Harmon then loaded the bases on a dropped third
strike and a walk, then walked a run in to give the Green Wave a one-run
advantage.
In
the bottom of the sixth, Chad Keefer turned the tables on Tulane during a Green
Wave double steal attempt with runners on first and third. With the first base
runner going, Keefer faked out the runner on third, who was waiting on the
catcher's throw to second to break. Keefer fired the ball, causing Nick Boullosa
to start towards home plate, but Greg Harmon was the target of the throw.
Harmon caught the ball and fired back to third, where Will Long initiated a
2-1-5-2-6 pick off to end the inning and get out of the jam.
In
the top of the seventh, the bases loaded for Kyle Olasin. He watched two balls,
waited through a pitching change, and then walked, picking up the easy RBI. In
the next at bat, Travis Whipple took a 1-1 pitch to right field, getting just
enough on it to put it over the wall, the first grand slam of the year for the
Cajuns. With the four-run boost, the Cajuns went ahead 6-2.
The
Green Wave took one run back in the bottom of the seventh on a sacrifice fly.
The
Ragin' Cajuns are back in Lafayette Wednesday for a showdown with Southern
University. Jay Walker and Steve Peloquin have the call on SportsRadio ESPN 1420
AM, and RaginCajuns.com is carrying live video and statistics for the game,
scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.
NOTES
· Matt Goulas started
in a defensive position for the first time this season. He played left field
· Travis Whipple parked
the Cajuns' first grand slam of the season with a line drive blast to right field
in the seventh inning.
· Kyle Olasin preserved
a hitting streak that is now at 13 games,
· Travis Whipple's four
RBI on the grand slam is a career high.
· Fontenot has gone
18-for-28 (.643) in the last eight games, with nine RBI, a .679 slugging
percentage, and a .677 on-base percentage. That combines for an impressive
1.356 OPS.
· Travis Whipple is
12-for-34 (.353) in the last eight, with an incredible .882 slugging percentage
thanks to three doubles and five home runs, including tonight's grand slam. With
a .421 on-base percentage, he owns a 1.303 OPS and has batted in a team-high 11
RBI in the eight-game span.
· Kyle Olasin is 13-for-31
in the last eight games (.419), and joins a list of seven Cajuns batting above
.300 in the last eight, including Fontenot, Long, Whipple, Bostick, Smith, and
Hawkins.
LINE SCORE
Louisiana 6, Tulane 3 (Apr 07, 2009 at New Orleans, La.)
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Louisiana........... 010 000 500 - 6 9 1 (16-12-1)
Tulane.............. 002 000 100 - 3 8 1 (17-15)
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Pitchers: Louisiana - Harmon, Gregory; Haagen, Blake(5); Wascom, Blake(7); Robichaux, Justin(8)
. Tulane - Loup; Doiron(7); Claiborne(7); Rogers(8).
Win-Haagen, Blake(2-0) Save-Robichaux, Justin(2) Loss-Loup(1-2) T-3:01 A-2857
HR UL - Whipple, Travis.
Harmon, G faced 2 batters in the 5th.
Doiron faced 2 batters in the 7th.
Haagen, B faced 2 batters in the 7th.
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