University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Southeast Missouri State
SEMO Tops Louisiana in Season Opener
2/19/2011 3:30:00 AM | Baseball
A three-inning, hitless relief performance by Shae Simmons helped Southeast Missouri close out a 4-2 victory and spoil the season opener for Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns baseball squad Friday evening in front of 3,768 fans at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field.
Trailing 4-2 in the seventh inning Louisiana (0-1) appeared to have a late rally started. Ryan Leonards led off with a single to left field and Jordan Bourque drew a walk on four pitches.
Simmons entered and retired the first three Cajuns hitters he faced to end the rally. He then faced only one batter over the minimum over the final two innings to lock down the save and hand UL only the second season opening defeat in the past 14 seasons.
The Cajuns and Redhawks (1-0) continue their season opening three-game series on Saturday at 2 p.m. Senior T.J. Geith will start for Louisiana and will be opposed by SEMO's Jon Dicus. The game will be broadcast on MyKLAF in the Lafayette viewing area.
Joe Zimmermann, a transfer from UNO, absorbed the loss in his Ragin' Cajuns debut. He was charged with three earned runs over 4 2/3 innings.
Jordan Underwood tossed five innings for the Redhawks, allowed only one run on five hits in five innings of action and collected the victory.
After SEMO scratched for two runs in the fifth inning off Zimmermann, Taylor Hubbell pitched one-hit baseball over 4 1/3 innings of relief to keep the Cajuns in position for a possible rally. Hubbell only faced two batters over the minimum and with the exception of walk in the seventh inning retired the Redhawks in order the final three innings.
Friday night's crowd was the largest for a game at "The Tigue" since 3,476 saw the Cajuns, led by Andy Gros, defeat LSU 7-0 on March 19, 2002.
The Redhawks scored first, getting a two-out RBI single from Brett Russell in the top of the first inning.
A hit by pitch allowed Blake Slattery to reach base to start the SEMO half of the second inning. A stolen base and ground out moved him to third base then Jesse Tierney lined out to right field for a sacrifice fly that gave the Redhawks a 2-0 edge.
A ground ball off the bat of Greg Fontenot with two outs in the bottom half of the inning and the bases loaded hit Alex Fuselier in the base path, preventing the Cajuns from registering their first runs of the game - runs that would prove costly after the final out was recorded. That got Underwood, who walked three batters in the inning, out of hot water.
Louisiana lit up the scoreboard in the third inning as Mike Petello came through with a two-out, RBI single through the left side. That scored Ryan Leonards who led off with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a Bourque sacrifice bunt.
SEMO added to the lead in the fifth inning, benefiting from a passed ball off the glove of Cajuns catcher Michael Strentz. The passed ball came with the bases loaded allowing Tim Rupp to score with the first of two runs that stretched the lead to 4-1. Casey Jones followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Parmley with the second run.
The Cajuns inched closer in the sixth inning getting a run on a Strentz sacrifice fly. That scored Tyler Frederick who led off the inning with a walk.
BASES NOTED: Friday's game marked the first meeting between Louisiana and Southeast Missouri...The Cajuns faced an Ohio Valley Conference opponent for the first time since 1983 when current Sun Belt member Middle Tennessee was in the OVC...UL is now 27-13 in season openers in the Division I Era, with a 13-4 mark under Tony Robichaux...Prior to the first pitch the 2010 Cajuns squad received their Sun Belt championship rings...Notable former Cajuns in attendance for the ceremony were Dayton Marze, Kyle Olasin, Zach Osborne and Chad Keefer...Taylor Hubbell made his 14th career relief appearance.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
