University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Northwestern State
Demons Claim Makeup Game, 7-1
4/14/2011 2:30:00 AM | Baseball
Louisiana had its five-game win streak in midweek contests snapped Wednesday evening in Natchitoches falling 7-1 to Northwestern State at Brown-Stroud Field.
The Demons (12-22) broke a 1-1 tie in the third inning and starting pitcher Joe Scanio protected the lead. Scanio, who threw 129 pitches over eight innings, limited the Cajuns (19-14) to four hits over five scoreless innings after he was handed the lead.
NSU avenged a 6-3 loss to UL on March 29 and picked up a split with the Cajuns in the 2011 season series.
The Ragin' Cajuns travel to Miami on Thursday to begin a Sun Belt series with FIU (20-15, 5-7 Sun Belt). The Cajuns and Golden Panthers meet at FIU Stadium Friday-Sunday, April 15-17. The series opener is scheduled for 6 p.m. (CDT) on Friday.
The game was the first of six straight road outings for the Cajuns over a seven-day span. The final stop will be next Wednesday in Baton Rouge against Southern at Lee-Hines Field.
In his first career start at shortstop Ryan Leonards led Louisiana with a 2-for-4 showing.
NSU's top hitters were Colin Bear, Stephen Gandy and Drew Helenihi each posting a two-hit game.
A leadoff walk in the first inning aided the Demons in grabbing an early lead. Justin Martinez drew the walk, stole second and moved to third on a Helenihi single. A double play ball off the bat of Bear scored Martinez and helped Cajuns starter Randall Bulliard keep NSU from posting a crooked number.
Scanio and Bulliard posted zeros in the second inning, each retiring the side in order.
UL pulled even in the third inning after loading the bases with no outs. Tyler Frederick was hit by a Scanio pitch, Matt Goulas singled up the middle and Leonards laid down a bunt for an infield single.
After the Demons recorded an out with a force play at home plate on a Jordan Poirrier grounder, a sacrifice fly by Mike Petello scored Goulas and evened the score at 1-1
NSU responded with a three-spot in their half of the third to reclaim the lead for good.
Nick Hinojos (leadoff single) and Martinez (one-out walk) reached base and were both in scoring position after Martinez stole second. Helenihi singled home Hinojos with the go-ahead run then the hosts tacked on two additional runs when Bear followed with a single to center field.
Blake Wascom relieved Bulliard and kept the Demons in check over the fourth and fifth innings. The Demons would solve him in the sixth inning posting three hits and plating two additional runs. A Chris Hebert RBI single and Gandy sacrifice fly upped the Demons advantage to 6-1.
The scoring was capped off in the eighth inning when the Demons drew three consecutive walks off of Jacques de Gruy to load the bases with no outs. After an infield pop up by Gandy a sacrifice fly from Hinojos plated the final tally.
BASES NOTED: The Ragin' Cajuns and Demons completed their season series wrapping up the ninth consecutive season of playing a home-and-home series...Wednesday's game was a makeup game for the originally scheduled contest that was postponed on Mardi Gras day by inclement weather...Senior Randall Bulliard made his second career start and it came at the site of his only other collegiate start...Bulliard was the Cajuns starting pitcher for a meeting with the Demons on March 26, 2008...In order to keep their uniforms packed for the weekend trip to Miami, the Cajuns donned black jerseys just as they did on March 9 in Hammond before flying out to San Francisco...The Cajuns are now 21-16 vs. NSU under Tony Robichaux (6-9 at Brown-Stroud Field)...A late game substitution saw freshman Matt Hicks play a position for the first time in his career when he took over for Jordan Poirrier at second base in the eighth inning...Freshman Jacques de Gruy made his collegiate debut when he started off the NSU half of the eighth inning.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
