Trojans Take Finale and Claim Series

A three-run home run by Tyson Workman highlighted a five-run outburst by Troy in the fifth inning that broke open a one-run game and carried the hosts to a 13-3 win in run rule fashion over Louisiana Sunday afternoon at Riddle-Pace Field in Troy, Ala.

The Ragin' Cajuns (27-21, 14-10 Sun Belt) were dealt a Sun Belt series loss by the Trojans (34-14, 17-7 Sun Belt) and dropped three games behind the league leaders with six games to play in the regular season.

UL returns to action on Tuesday against Rice at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field in a game that is sold out. First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m. The Cajuns are going for the season sweep of the Owls and welcome them to "The Tigue" for the first time since February 1993.

Troy reliever Nathan Hill accomplished what T.J. Geith was unable to do...post a scoreless inning after his team scored. And that proved to be point in which the game was decided.

Solo home runs by Mike Petello and Lance Marvel in the fourth inning had lifted Louisiana into a 3-2 lead. Geith couldn't keep the Trojans off the scoreboard in the bottom half, though, as Blake Martz homered to right field to even the score and Josh McDorman later scored on a fielding error to put Troy up 4-3.

Hill retired Jordan Bourque, Trask Switzenberg and Alex Fuselier in order in the top of the fifth to maintain the advantage and send the game to the bottom of the fifth where the Trojans captured the momentum and delivered the decisive blow.

Martz homered off of Geith again to increase the lead to 5-3. Geith gave up a double to McDorman, but came back to force Logan Pierce to fly out to center field for the second out.

Geith induced a ground ball, however it slowly rolled toward third base allowing Daniel Peterson time to beat the throw and keep the inning alive. On the next at bat, Workman launched a home run over the left field wall for three runs that ended Geith's afternoon and ballooned the Cajuns deficit to 8-3.

Troy would add one more in the inning then aided by two Cajuns errors in the seventh inning plated four additional runs that provided the margin for the run rule.

Hill held the Cajuns to one hit over his three innings in relief of starting pitcher Shane McCain and collected the victory.

Geith gave up eight runs (seven earned) on 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings and suffered the loss. Sunday's outing ended his string of consecutive complete games thrown at two.

Alex Fuselier, Marvel and Petello each posted a hit extending their hitting streaks. Petello increased his hitting streak to a team-high 11 games, while Marvel stretched his to eight games and Fuselier moved to six games.

Workman and Martz combined for seven RBI to pace the Troy offensive attack that pounded out 13 hits. Troy's 13 runs marked only the third time in the past 80 games UL pitching gave up double figures.

The Trojans opened the scoring in the bottom of the first as a shallow fly ball bounced over the reach of Petello allowing Workman (leadoff walk) to score from first base.

McCain, who struck out the side in the Cajuns half of the first, turned the trick again in the second inning.

An outfield assist by Matt Goulas kept the Trojans from adding to the lead in the second inning.

UL broke through on McCain in the third inning starting with a leadoff triple by Goulas to right center field. He scored when Fuselier dumped a single into center field.

The Cajuns thought they had taken a lead on a fly ball to center field by Greg Fontenot that appeared to be trapped. All runners advanced, but umpires ruled that the catch had been made and Trask Switzenberg was double off of third base on the appeal, erasing the run, returning the score to 1-1

Tyler Hannah led off the bottom of the third inning with a solo home run that put Troy in front 2-1.

Petello answered with a solo homer of his own to start the top of the fourth and the score was evened at 2-all. Two batters later, Marvel went out of the park on a line drive over the wall in left center, his first home run of the season that put UL ahead briefly.

Geith was unable to keep the momentum on the Cajuns side as Martz's second yard job off of Geith tied the game and the subsequent run that scored on a fielding error put the Trojans ahead to stay.

BASES NOTED: Troy claimed a series victory over Louisiana for the first time in Sun Belt play...The Cajuns lead the all-time series 17-9...The Trojans win evened the series at Riddle-Pace Field at 5-5...Sunday's game marked the final time the Cajuns will play outside the State of Louisiana this season, barring any out-of-state postseason assignment...Louisiana's final two Sun Belt series are against Middle Tennessee at "The Tigue" next weekend and at La.-Monroe, two teams that are a combined 14-34 in league play...The Cajuns exit the weekend in a three-way tie for third place with Western Kentucky and Florida Atlantic...In that tiebreaker, the Cajuns are the No. 4 seed...The Cajuns tallied four outfield assists in the series...The five errors marked a season-high and marked only the third time this season that UL committed three-plus errors...Alex Fuselier has now hit safely in 27 of his last 30 games played and needs a hit on Tuesday at Rice to notch his fourth, seven-game hitting streak since mid-March.

-- Ragin' Cajuns--

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