University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
La.-Monroe
Warhawks Take Away Win From UL in the 9th
3/19/2011 10:40:00 PM | Baseball
Rapp's home run came with two outs and Louisiana (8-10, 0-2 Sun Belt) clinging to a 3-2 lead. The homer pulled La.-Monroe (12-5, 2-0 Sun Belt) ahead 4-3 and the Warhawks added insurance runs with an RBI double from Jordy Poche and RBI single from Jason Hicks.
James Jones tossed the bottom of the ninth inning for the Warhawks and worked around a one-out single to record the save.
With the win the Warhawks claimed the series victory, their second in as many Sun Belt series with the Cajuns at "The Tigue".
Louisiana will attempt to salvage one game from the Sun Belt opening series on Sunday. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m., and features T.J. Geith (0-2, 7.30 ERA) for the Cajuns and Brent Gay (1-0, 2.57 ERA) for the Warhawks on the mound.
The Cajuns thought they had a win secured Saturday afternoon after erasing a 2-1 deficit in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Daniel Nichols doubled to left field to start off the inning for UL. Jordan Bourque reached on a La.-Monroe fielding error on a sacrifice bunt attempt and Nichols crossed home to tie the contest at 2-all.
Alex Fuselier shoved a grounder to the right side of the infield to move Bourque to third base. Bourque then gave the Cajuns a 3-2 lead off a fielder's choice grounder by Greg Fontenot. Bourque was able to touch home plate after the ball came out of the glove of Warhawks catcher Jarrett Hammond.
Hicks then entered in relief of Randall Bulliard who had held the Warhawks in their tracks for two innings after starter Jordan Nicholson surrendered only two runs on four hits over the first six innings.
After giving up the first base hits two the first two batters he faced, Hicks forced a 4-6-3 ground out to make it a two-out situation for the freshman. Rapp would give La.-Monroe new life with his team-leading fourth home run of the season which would bring home the first of four runs the visitors scored with two outs.
Hicks pitched two thirds of an inning giving up four earned runs on three hits in his first loss of the season. The four runs allowed marked the most given up by the Cajuns bullpen this season which had only allowed 13 runs over 66 innings entering the contest.
Randy Zeigler was credited with the win for La.-Monroe after he lasted eight innings, scattered six hits and allowed only one earned run. He was saved from the loss by Rapp's clutch homer in the ninth.
The Warhawks struck first in the third as Jeremy Sy hit an infield single, driving in Matt Laird. During the next at bat, a wild pitch scored a second run. Nicholson struck out the next batter to strand two Warhawk baserunners.
Alex Fuselier put the Cajuns' on the board in the home-half of the fifth with his RBI single to right field, scoring Tyler Frederick who was hit by a Zeigler pitch and sacrificed to second base by Nichols.
BASES NOTED: Jordan Nicholson made his first weekend start at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field...Lance Marvel got the start at designated hitter in place of Ryan Leoanrds and Daniel Nichols started in left field instead of Matt Goulas...For the third time in the past four games a starting pitcher lasted at least eight innings against the Cajuns...The Cajuns lead the all-time series with La.-Monroe 61-47, but the Warhawks have evened the series at 7-all in the Sun Belt Era...UL dropped its Sun Belt opening series for the fourth consecutive season (2008-11)...The Cajuns string of holding opponents to single digit runs reached 50 games, a streak that dates back to April 6, 2010...Mike Petello recorded his first extra base hit as a Cajun with a double to right field in the first inning...Petello notched his third multi-hit contest of the season, after adding a single in the fourth inning...Daniel Nichols posted his first double of the season in the eighth inning...Saturday's crowd of 3,682 was the second-largest of the season (3,768 vs. SEMO in opener) and upped the season average to 3,335.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
