University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Arkansas State
Cajuns Answer ASU Outburst, Rally For Win
3/26/2011 3:30:00 AM | Baseball
Tony Robichaux mentioned in his weekly media luncheon that he wanted to see his team come back up fighting after taking a blow from the opposition. Friday evening after Arkansas State tested Robichaux's squad by scoring six runs to build a four-run edge, and the Cajuns answered Robichaux's call with a five-run rally.
As a result Louisiana (11-10, 2-2 Sun Belt) walked out of Tomlinson Stadium-Kell Field in Jonesboro, Ark., on Friday evening with a 10-9 win in the Sun Belt series opener with the Red Wolves (11-12, 1-3 Sun Belt).
UL lost a 5-3 lead in the sixth inning when ASU pushed across six runs to jump ahead 9-5. Starting in the next half inning, the Cajuns methodically worked their way to the come-from-behind win.
Greg Fontenot responded to the Red Wolves outburst by smacking a leadoff triple to start the seventh inning. That hit had him in position to score when a passed ball got by ASU catcher Tyler Smith and it was 9-6.
After reliever Matt Hicks sat ASU down in order in the bottom of the seventh, the Cajuns went back to work at chipping away on the deficit in the eighth inning.
A leadoff single by Tyler Frederick was followed by a walk from Chris Sinclair and one-out infield single by Alex Fuselier to load the bases.
Louisiana's patience at the plate then began to pay off as ASU relievers Cory Kyle and Todd Baumgartner struggled to locate the strike zone.
Fontenot and Jordan Poirrier drew walks off of Kyle to force home two runs. Baumgartner relieved Kyle and plunked Mike Petello allowing the tying run to score.
The Cajuns rally was complete when Lance Marvel lined a sacrifice fly to center field to score Fontenot with the game-winning tally.
Hicks induced a double play ball to end the ASU eighth and worked around a leadoff single in the ninth the wrap up the victory.
The Ragin' Cajuns and Red Wolves continue their weekend Sun Belt series with the middle game scheduled for 3 p.m., on Saturday. The game is being televised on the Sun Belt Network and will feature UL's Jordan Nicholson (1-1, 2.45 ERA) and ASU's Jacob Lee (1-2, 1.89 ERA) on the mound.
Seven Cajuns batters recorded at least one RBI with Poirrier and Marvel tallying a team-best two. UL recorded six extra base hits posting three doubles and three triples.
What was expected to be a lowing scoring affair between two of the Sun Belt's top pitching staffs saw a total of 19 earned runs allowed. Both starting pitchers, UL's Taylor Hubbell and ASU's Andy Ferguson, surrendered five earned runs.
With the win UL upped its current winning streak to three games and ended a three-game losing streak to ASU.
The Red Wolves started the scoring with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning, getting an RBI double from Baumgartner and RBI single by Ryan Emery.
Louisiana answered in the top of the second with a pair of runs. Three consecutive one-out hits culminating with an infield single by Frederick plated the first run. Daniel Nichols scored the second run on a Sinclair ground out to second base.
In the bottom of the second Michael Faulkner doubled to left center to score Anthony Hecht and return the lead to ASU.
The Cajuns drew even in the third taking advantage of a pair of stolen bases by Fuselier which moved him to third base. Poirrier dumped a single into shallow center field to score Fuselier and even the score at 3-all.
Ferguson and the Red Wolves kept the tie intact after Fontenot grounded out to second base with the bases loaded in the Cajuns half of the fourth inning.
Triples from Poirrier and Marvel in the fifth inning were the catalyst for the Cajuns pulling ahead for the first time in the contest.
Marvel's triple scored Poirrier and gave the Cajuns a 4-3 lead. Nichols followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home Marvel and extend the advantage to 5-3.
UL held the lead until a solo home run by Michael George jumpstarted the Red Wolves' sixth inning onslaught that returned the lead to the hosts for the moment.
BASES NOTED: Alex Fuselier's two stolen bases in the third inning marked his second multi-stolen base game of the season and upped his season total to six...Jordan Porrier's triple in the fifth inning marked his third straight game with an extra base hit...The six-spot allowed by Cajuns pitching in the sixth inning was the most runs allowed to an opponent in an inning this season...Matt Hicks 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief helped the Cajuns keep ASU at nine runs and extend the string of consecutive games holding an opponent to single digit runs to 53 consecutive games...UL scored double figure runs and posted double figure hits for the third consecutive game...Dating back to Sunday's game with La.-Monroe, the Cajuns have scored 32 runs, tallied 45 hits of which 15 have gone for extra bases, and slugged .606.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
