University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
FIU
Louisiana Drops Thriller to FIU
5/29/2011 2:30:00 AM | Baseball
FIU posted four runs in the eighth inning to break a tie, but had to play into the 10th inning to record an 11-8 win over Louisiana in the final game of pool play at the 2011 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Saturday evening at Warhawk Field in Monroe.
The loss resulted in Louisiana (31-27) finishing winless in the tournament and extended the program's losing streak in the Sun Belt's postseason event to seven games dating back to 2009.
FIU (40-17-1) had already clinched their berth into Sunday's tournament championship game and the 22nd-ranked Panthers will advance to the NCAA Tournament. UL, in all likelihood, saw its 2011 season come to a close.
Tony Robichaux decided before the game to throw starter Jordan Nicholson only three innings and then follow with several arms given the probability of the game being the final one of the season.
The plan kept the Panthers in check and the result was a 4-all tie heading into the eighth inning.
Unfortunately, Matt Hicks' scheduled inning of work in relief didn't go according to plan as FIU rattled off four straight hits to begin the inning. That vaulted the Panthers into the lead temporarily and ultimately kept UL from winning after scoring three times in the bottom of the eighth.
Despite falling behind, the Ragin' Cajuns didn't go away without a fight and came storming back in the bottom of the eighth inning and again in the ninth to force extra innings.
Matt Goulas and Trask Switzenberg drew walks off of D.J. Swatscheno then a one-out single by Brian Bowman scored Goulas with the first of three runs UL used to crawl within a run.
A throwing error by Yoandy Barroso allowed Switzenberg to score and Bowman to advance to third base cutting the deficit to 8-6. A Ryan Leonards sacrifice fly plated Bowman and dropped the FIU lead to 8-7.
Then in the ninth inning Aaron Arboleya issued a walk, hit by pitch then gave up a two-out double to Chris Sinclair that scored the tying run that led to free baseball .
A Jeremy Patton single in the 10th inning retuned the lead to FIU for good then a throwing error by Jordan Bourque led to two additional runs which included Patton racing around to score on the play.
Arboleya finished the game off for the Panthers executing a double play with first baseman Mike Martinez to double off Bowman in the bottom of the 10th. He collected the victory improving to 3-1.
Joey Satriano, who was pitching when FIU reclaimed the lead, took the loss in his 48th and final appearance in a Cajuns uniform. His final mark in his senior season was 4-5.
The Cajuns plated the first run on a bases loaded walk by Leonards in the second inning. A throwing error by Patton with two outs allowed Switzenberg to reach then Logan Dodds issued back-to-back walks which resulted in Goulas (one-out single) scoring.
The Panthers drew even in the top half of the third when David Vazquez homered off of Nicholson - just the third home run the Cajuns righty allowed this season. A Patton sacrifice fly added the second run of the inning and gave FIU a 2-1 edge.
Back-to-back doubles from Jordan Poirrier and Mike Petello in the bottom half of the third evened the score at 2-all.
Ryland Parker, projected to start the championship game if UL would have qualified, replaced Nicholson in the fourth inning after the Ruston native had reached his scheduled three innings of work.
Parker worked around a two-out single by Joel Capote in the fourth to hold FIU scoreless. After retiring the leadoff hitter in the fifth, Parker surrendered three consecutive hits capped off by an RBI double from Rudy Flores that put the Panthers ahead 3-2.
Louisiana answered in its half of the fifth sending seven batters to the plate and pushing across two runs to reclaim the edge at 4-3.
Leonards drew his third walk of the game to open the frame, stole second base and moved to third base on a throwing error on a pickoff attempt by Leon. Poirrier singled to center to score Leonards and create a tie.
After Poirrier stole second, Lance Marvel joined him on the base path with a single of his own before stealing second to give UL two runners in scoring position. Reliever Christian Malbrough would get the Panthers out of the jam, but a wild pitch on a walk issued to Goulas allowed Poirrier to score and put UL up 4-3.
Chase Traffica allowed a pair of singles in the sixth inning and it cost the Cajuns a run as FIU would pull even on a ground out RBI from Vazquez.
Malbrough sat UL down in order in the sixth - the first time FIU pitching accomplished the feat in the contest - to hold the score at 4-all.
Joe Zimmermann had to escape trouble he created in the seventh to help the Cajuns stay in the tie. After singles allowed to Garrett Wittels and Patton, he would register back-to-back strikeouts for two outs. A wild pitch moved runners to second and third base, but he induced a grounder from Barroso to end the inning.
Despite a leadoff walk, Malbrough helped the Panthers keep the tie intact as he struck out Poirrier, Petello and Marvel in succession.
BASES NOTED: The Cajuns and Panthers met for the fifth time in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, meeting for the first time since the opener in the 2009 event in Troy...FIU now holds a 3-2 lead in SBC tournament action...Greg Fontenot's single in the first inning marked his 70th hit of the season...Fontenot ended his career at UL recording 70 hits in three consecutive seasons...Louisiana posted five stolen bases to increase the Sun Belt-leading total to 83...The Cajuns committed three errors in the game and finished the SBC Tournament appearance with 10 errors in three games...Coming into the event the Cajuns had committed only 49 errors in 55 regular season contests...The game lasted three hours and 52 minutes which marked the longest game of the season.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
