University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
La.-Monroe
Cajuns Capture Series Opener, 30th Victory
5/20/2011 2:00:00 AM | Baseball
With seeding for the upcoming Sun Belt Conference Tournament on the line as the regular season comes to a close, Louisiana began a weekend series with La.-Monroe with a 6-2 victory at Warhawk Field in Monroe on Thursday.
With the victory and FIU's win over Florida Atlantic, the Ragin' Cajuns (30-23, 17-11 Sun Belt) moved into sole possession of third place in the Sun Belt Conference standings. The Cajuns, out of the running for the No. 1 seed because of FIU's win, can secure the No. 3 seed on Friday with a win and Western Kentucky loss to Middle Tennessee.
Louisiana's win also eliminated the host-Warhawks (23-29, 8-20 Sun Belt) from next week's Sun Belt Tournament which will be held at Warhawk Field.
Taylor Hubbell recovered from a 30-pitch first inning to toss 72 pitches over his final six innings as he limited La.-Monroe to six hits over seven innings in collecting his fifth victory of the season.
Joey Satriano struck out four in two innings of relief to wrap up Hubbell's triumph which evened the season series with the Warhawks at 2-2 and marked Louisiana's fourth straight win over La.-Monroe at Warhawk Field.
Mike Petello posted his 20th multiple-hit and ninth multiple-RBI game finishing 2-for-4 with three RBI to pace the Cajuns offense.
The Warhawks scored two runs after their first two at bats of the contest. Les Aulds reached on a check-swing dribbler to third base then on a 10-pitch at bat Jarrett Hammond lofted a Hubbell offering into the wind and over the left field fence for a 2-0 lead.
The Cajuns struck back in the third inning as Chase Compton led off with a single and Jordan Bourque doubled to left center to put two aboard off of Warhawks starting pitcher Kendall Thamm. Compton scored on a Greg Fontenot grounder and Bourque crossed home plate on a two-out single by Petello to even the score.
UL continued to attack Thamm in the fourth inning, adding four more runs to grab a sizeable advantage at 6-2 which wound up being the game's final score.
The Cajuns broke the 2-all tie three batters into the frame after Daniel Nichols drew a walk, Michael Strentz singled through the left side and Compton dumped a single into right field to score Nichols for a 3-2 lead.
After a sacrifice bunt by Bourque advanced Strentz and Compton up one base, Fontenot drew a two-out walk to load the bases. The Cajuns made Thamm pay for the free pass as a passed ball scored Strentz then Petello ripped a double into left field to clear the bases and add two more runs.
The four-run outburst provided plenty cushion for Hubbell who capped off his quality start by retiring 18 of the final 22 Warhawks batters he faced before giving way to Satriano who finished off the hosts.
The lone threat from La.-Monroe came in the seventh inning when a one-out walk by Taylor Abdalla and single from Jason Hicks marked the first time multiple Warhawks reached base since the first inning. Hubbell fell behind 3-0 to Cakeb Knox, but recovered to induce a double play that ended the inning.
Thamm was charged with the loss for La.-Monroe after surrendering six runs on seven hits over four innings.
The bottom of the batting order contributed to the Cajuns success as the Nos. 7-8-9 hitters combined for four of the squad's eight base hits.
BASES NOTED: Louisiana picked up win No. 30, marking the 13th time in 17 seasons under Tony Robichaux that the program reached the 30-victory plateau...Taylor Hubbell held the opposition to three runs or less for the sixth consecutive start...UL was playing shorthanded as Alex Fuselier, the team's leadoff hitter, was left behind in Lafayette to receive treatments for a back injury suffered earlier this week...Also missing the game were Jordan Nicholson and Chase Traffica who were sent back to Lafayette for a violation of team rules...With Nicholson not available, Tony Robichaux has named Ryland Parker (1-1, 4.79 ERA) as Friday night's starting pitcher...La.-Monroe has yet to name its starter for Friday's game...With a win on Friday, the Cajuns would clinch their first road series victory since taking 2-of-3 from Arkansas State (March 25-27)...The Cajuns played their 23rd error-free game, improving to 17-6 when not committing an error...UL held the opposition to five runs or less for the 36th time in 53 games (26-10 record)...Louisiana now leads the all-time series with La.-Monroe 63-47, overall, and improved to 9-7 vs. the Warhawks in Sun Belt games.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
