University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Louisiana-Monroe
Journey Complete: Cajuns are SBC Champs
5/23/2010 3:00:00 AM | Baseball
With a 13-1 win over La.-Monroe Saturday evening at Warhawk Field in Monroe, Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns claimed a share of the 2010 Sun Belt Conference regular season championship.
Louisiana completed the journey from 4-8 in SBC play and a ninth place standing on April 4 to a 21-9 league mark and first place on May 22. Florida Atlantic rallied to defeat FIU and also finished 21-9 in SBC play to share the title with UL.
The Ragin' Cajuns (37-18, 21-9 Sun Belt) will be the No. 2 seed at the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Murfreesboro, Tenn., being held Wednesday-Saturday, May 26-29. UL will meet seventh-seeded Arkansas State on Wednesday at a time which will be announced on Sunday.
The Ragin' Cajuns ended the second half of the regular season with a 23-4 mark and won for the 17th time in their final 18 Sun Belt games.
Taylor Hubbell pitched six scoreless innings and the offense built a quick 4-0 lead. The Warhawks (17-38, 7-23 Sun Belt) never threatened managing only an unearned run in the eighth inning.
Matt Goulas and Jordan Poirrier led Louisiana each finishing with three RBI and a 3-for-5 showing. Greg Fontenot also tallied three hits and the Cajuns pounded out 16 hits off of six Warhawks pitchers.
UL posted seven extra base hits in the contest which included home runs from Goulas and Justin Robichaux.
The Cajuns won their seventh consecutive weekend series and posted their fifth series sweep in Sun Belt play.
The Cajuns started the second inning with a pair of extra base hits to plate the game's first run.
Chad Keefer doubled over left fielder Kelvin York's reach then after two unsuccessful bunt attempts Tyler Frederick tripled down the right field line for a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, Fontenot laid down a push bunt toward first base to allow Frederick to score the second run.
Goulas' homer came in the third inning and Robichaux went yard in the fourth and the Cajuns lead grew to 4-0.
La.-Monroe would create traffic on the basepaths in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Hubbell struck out Judd Edwards looking to end the fifth inning and double play balls ended the Warhawks' opportunities in the sixth and seventh innings.
Goulas lifted a two-out RBI single to left center in the seventh to score Kyle Bostick who led off with a double to left center. That upped the Cajuns lead to 5-0 and with Jordan Poirrier, a lefty, coming to bat the Warhawks pulled Josh Miller and brought in left hander Matt Cawthon.
Poirrier singled through the right second after Goulas stole second on Cawthon's first pitch to plate another run and it was 6-0 Cajuns.
La.-Monroe saw the first two batters of the eighth inning reach and an errant throw on a potential double play by Cajuns reliever Ryland Parker allowed pinch runner Boomer Blanchard to score an unearned run.
The Ragin' Cajuns put the game away in the top of the ninth. Bostick reached on a fielding error by Nick Wade who had moved over to shortstop and then the next six Cajuns hitters reached base, five of them posting base hits, allowing Louisiana to plate six additional runs which increased the lead to 12-1.
Parker retired the Warhawks in order in the bottom of the ninth and Louisiana wrapped up the championship.
BASES NOTED: The Ragin' Cajuns picked up their second Sun Belt sweep at Warhawk Field, the other coming in 2007...Louisiana collected its fourth Sun Belt regular season title under Tony Robichaux...In the Robichaux Era, the Cajuns have won the league in 1997, 2005, 2007 and 2010...UL now leads La.-Monroe 7-5 in SBC play and 61-45 overall...The Cajuns are now 29-6 when out-hitting the opposition...Louisiana is 34-7 when holding the opponent to five runs or less, 16-2 when the run total is two or less...Taylor Hubbell extended his consecutive scoreless innings streak to nine dating back to last Sunday's relief appearance against Western Kentucky...UL took advantage of its opportunities stranding only three base runners in the contest...The Cajuns finished 9-for-17 with runners in scoring position...Taylor Hubbell and Ryland Parker combined to force 14 ground ball outs (11 by Hubbell).
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
