Butler's Blast Ignites Eighth-Inning Outburst, UL Tops ASU 9-2

Contact: Matt Hebert

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LAFAYETTE - A seven-run, eighth inning sparked by freshman Dylan Butler lifted the Ragin' Cajuns baseball team to a 9-2 win over Arkansas State in the series opener Friday night at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field.

“We matched Arkansas State with a good arm and stayed right where we needed to be and got the job done when it mattered,” head coach Tony Robichaux said. “I have to give our hitters a lot of credit tonight.

“We preach stay in the moment and use the adrenaline from your fans to be a better hitting ball club. Tonight they just did an incredible job of staying in the moment and being able to use the fans adrenaline to be good. That's a great job by our hitters.”

Jordan Harrison picked up his second win of the season throwing 3.0 perfect innings in relief of starting pitcher Jordan Nicholson. Harrison held the Red Wolves hitless and posted four strikeouts in his relief stint.

Nicholson lasted until the top of the seventh, limiting the Red Wolves to two runs on six hits with five strikeouts. He collected his team-leading fifth quality start of the 2012 season.

“Jordan (Nicholson) did what a veteran should do,” Robichaux said. “He didn't have his best stuff and really couldn't settle in, but he kept hanging zeros on the board. That's just what he will do for you.”

UL (13-8, 3-1 Sun Belt) outhit ASU (11-10, 3-1 Sun Belt) 10-6 in the contest led by Butler and Jace Conrad who each had two hits on the evening.

UL evened the contest at 2-all in the bottom of the seventh when Conrad came in to score on a sacrifice fly to center by Ryan Leonards. Conrad reached on a double down the left field line with one out, then moved to third on a wild pitch by Lee.

Butler put Louisiana in front in the bottom of the eighth inning on a three-run shot off of the Service Chevrolet sign in left field. The Cajuns added four more runs in the inning on a RBI double by Tyler Fredrick, a wild pitch, a RBI triple by Leonards and a Red Wolves error.

Butler posted at least one RBI for the 10^th time in the past 11 games and tallied his team-leading ninth multiple-RBI game. His season RBI total increased to 28 which ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference.

The Cajuns return to action tomorrow at 2 p.m. when they face ASU in the second game of the series at the “Tigue”. Louisiana will start junior lefty Chris Griffitt (3-1, 3.80 ERA) and the Red Wolves will counter with junior right-hander Daniel Wright (0-2, 3.56 ERA).

The Red Wolves took a 2-0 edge in the top off the first inning after Zach George lifted a two-run homer to right with two outs.

Despite three straight hits to lead off the bottom half of the first, the Cajuns could not scratch across a run. Brian Bowman led off with a single to right center but was thrown out at second trying to extend the hit to extra bases. After singles by Tyler Girouard and Butler, ASU starter Jacob Lee settled down to strike out back-to-back Louisiana batters to end the inning.

In the top of the fourth, ASU was unsuccessful in adding to its lead as Collin Massanelli was thrown out at the plate by Daniel Nichols after trying to score from second on a Dustin Jones single to left with two outs.

The Cajuns cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fifth. Nichols led off the inning with a double down the left field line. He came around to score on a RBI single to center by Conrad in the next at-bat.

Harrison got the Cajuns out of trouble in the top of the seventh coming in with no outs and runners on first and second and retired three straight Arkansas State batters to end the ASU threat.

BASES NOTED: Louisiana won a series opener for the fourth time this season…The Cajuns improved to 4-1 on Friday…Louisiana is now 10-1 in night games…The Red Wolves' two runs in the second inning marked only the sixth time in 21 games this season that the opposition scored first…Daniel Nichols posted his team-leading third outfield assist of the season when he connected with Chris Sinclair in the fourth inning on a putout of Collin Massanelli attempting to score from second base…The Cajuns took the field for the first time since last Sunday at La.-Monroe as both midweek games were postponed due to weather…With win, the Cajuns extended their string of consecutive Sun Belt series without being swept to 25 straight (dates back April 2009)…UL's Sun Belt record during the streak is 48-25…Head coach Tony Robichaux is now 16 wins shy of 900 career wins (currently 884-594-1 in his 26^th season as a Division I head coach)…Louisiana now leads the all-time series with Arkansas State 68-34 which includes a 31-12 mark at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field…UL is 20-10 at “The Tigue” vs. ASU under Tony Robichaux.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Butler's Blast Ignites Eighth-Inning Outburst, UL Tops ASU 9-2

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