University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
UC Santa Barbara
Defense Carries UCSB Past Louisiana
3/12/2011 9:30:00 PM | Baseball
UC Santa Barbara used its defense and a two-run home run that barely hit the top of the right field wall to pull out a 4-2 win over Louisiana on Saturday afternoon in the Cal Baseball Classic at AT&T Park in San Francisco.
The Gauchos (7-5) turned four double plays and Brandon Trinkwon provided the home run in the fifth inning which gave UCSB a runs total that equaled the final margin.
Louisiana (7-7) pressured UCSB reliever Nick Loredo in the ninth inning by cutting the deficit to two runs on a Daniel Nichols pinch hit single.
However, Loredo would notch the save as he caught pinch hitter Brian Bowman looking at strike three then catcher Dan Camou completed a double play which ended the game by forcing out Michael Strentz at third base.
The loss marked was the third straight for the Cajuns, a season-long streak. It also dropped the squad to 0-2 in the Cal Baseball Classic.
UL wraps up its stay in San Francisco and time at the home ballpark of the World Champion Giants with an 11 a.m. (CDT) matchup against the University of San Francisco on Sunday at AT&T Park.
The Gauchos struck first taking advantage of a Cajuns error on the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the first inning. After a sacrifice bunt moved Ben Edelstein to second base, Sean Williams singled him home for a 1-0 UCSB lead.
UCSB used outstanding defensive plays in the second and fourth innings to maintain the early advantage.
The Cajuns loaded the bases in the second inning with one out. Chase Compton lifted a fly ball to shallow left field that Joe Wallace made a spectacular diving play on to prevent Jordan Poirrier from tagging up from third base. Trask Switzenberg grounded out and UCSB starter Matt Vedo escaped the jam.
With runners on the corners for Louisiana in the fourth inning, Vedo induced a double play ball off the bat of Strentz to retire the side without allowing a run.
UCSB added a run in the bottom of the fourth inning benefiting from a Mark Haddow triple. Haddow crossed home plate on a groundout by Trevor Whyte.
The Gauchos tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning via Trinkwon's home run and the defense bailed out Vedo with a double play in the sixth inning.
A Compton groundout in the seventh inning put the Cajuns on the scoreboard. The grounder scored Matt Goulas who led off the inning with a double down the left field line - his third double of the tournament - sand moved up on a Strentz fly out to right field.
Vedo picked up the win for the Gauchos after lasting seven full innings and surrendering only one run off five Cajuns hits. Jordan Nicholson, making his first career weekend start for UL, was charged with the loss as he was responsible for all four UCSB runs (three earned) in five innings of work.
BASES NOTED: The Cajuns and Gauchos met on the diamond for the first time since March 1984...UCSB won the meeting in 1984 and coupled with Saturday's win owns a 2-0 lead in the all-time series...UL falls to 6-8 all-time in Major League ballparks...Alex Fuselier posted two hits to extend his season-high hitting streak to five games, which ties Jordan Bourque, Mike Petello and Ryan Leonards for the team's longest hit streaks of the season...Leonards and Petello went hitless, snapping their five game hitting streaks....UL recorded the 46thconsecutive game of holding the opposition to single digit runs...Joey Satriano continued the solid work of the Cajuns bullpen, tossing three innings of scoreless, one-hit baseball...The UL bullpen has now worked 54 innings this season and surrendered only nine runs and 39 base hits...The bullpen's ERA is now 1.50...Satriano, who started the season's first three weekends, made his season debut out of the bullpen...Cajuns pitching held the opponent below five runs for the 10th time in 14 games...Matt Goulas posted two hits which marked his team-leading fifth multiple-hit game of 2011.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
