Cajuns Drop Middle Game of ASU Series

Contact: Matt Hebert

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LAFAYETTE – Michael Faulkner's two-out triple on a full count offering from Cajuns reliever Derek Howell capped off a three-run sixth inning for Arkansas State which saw the Red Wolves break a tie and pull away for a 6-4 win over Louisiana in the middle game of a three-game Sun Belt series at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field.

Faulkner's triple, which plated two runs, upped the ASU lead to 5-2 and starting pitcher Daniel Wright retired the Cajuns in order in their half of the sixth to keep the momentum on the Red Wolves' side.

ASU (12-10, 4-1 Sun Belt) upped the lead to 6-2 in the seventh inning benefitting from a couple of two-out hits and a walk off of Howell.

The Cajuns (13-9, 3-2 Sun Belt) threatened in the bottom half of the seventh with runners on second and third with two outs, but ASU reliever Bradley Wallace entered and got Ryan Leonards swinging to end the inning to begin his 2 1/3 innings relief effort which garnered him a save.

“The bottom line is that we have to pitch better in critical situations and the middle innings,” head coach Tony Robichaux said. “We failed to do that, and that is what did us in.”

“This was a winnable ballgame going away,” Robichaux said. “We can't collapse going away and we need to pitch better in the middle innings.”

Louisiana picked up single runs in the eighth and ninth inning with two-out hitting from Chase Compton and pinch hitter Almann Snowden. Wallace, though, was able to notch a strikeout to end both of those frames and preserve the win for Wright and ASU.

The Red Wolves evened the series with the win, bouncing back from a 9-2 defeat at the hands of the Cajuns on Friday.

The two teams will wrap up the three-game set with the rubber match on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Cajuns are scheduled to start senior right-hander Joe Zimmermann (0-1, 8.68 ERA), while the Red Wolves are expected to oppose him with senior righty Cory Kyle (2-2, 5.49 ERA)

ASU piled up 13 base hits, with nine of them coming from the decisive fifth through seventh innings. Claude Johnson posted a team-best four hits and Faulkner tallied a game-high three RBI.

Wright limited the Cajuns to two runs on five hits over 6 2/3 innings. He struck out a career-high nine batters before giving way to Wallace who fanned an additional four.

Chris Griffitt started for UL and tied his season-long outing by pitching through 5 2/3 innings. He held ASU to just two hits through the first four innings and held a 2-1 lead, but three straight one-out hits ending with a Faulkner RBI single pulled ASU into a 2-all tie in the fifth inning.

Brian Bowman and Compton both posted multi-hit games for the Cajuns. Bowman scored two runs and tallied three stolen bases. Compton collected his first collegiate home run and finished with a team-best three RBI.

Arkansas State took an early 1-0 lead for the second straight day after a throwing error by Griffit on a bunt by Kaleb Brown in the third inning.

Compton put the Cajuns ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth when he sent a two-run homer over the fence in right field.

Faulkner's RBI single in the fifth inning scored Dustin Jones from third to tie the game at 2-all. The Red Wolves went back in front in the next inning on a sacrifice fly to center by Jones that scored Johnson. Faulkner's triple extended the lead to three runs.

BASES NOTED: Brian Bowman's three stolen bases was one shy of the school record of four last reached by Alex Fuselier on March 9, 2010 vs. Alcorn State…Bowman increased his season stolen base total to 15, which is just shy of this personal best 17 stolen bases set in 2010…Chase Compton now leads the Cajuns with 12 extra base hits (9 doubles, 2 triples 1 home run)…Compton posted his ninth multiple-hit game of the season, tying him with Ryan Leonards for the team lead…The night and day contrast continues for Louisiana, as the team fell to 3-8 in day games (10-1 in night games)…Dylan Butler's string of seven straight games with an RBI came to an end…Butler has still posted at least one RBI in 10 of the last 12 games and entered Saturday's action second in the Sun Belt with 28 RBI…Time of the game was 2 hours, 33 minutes, marking the 21^st time in 22 games that the Cajuns have completed a game in less than three hours…The Cajuns series lead over ASU is now 68-35 which includes a 31-13 mark at “The Tigue”...Chris Sinclair started at catcher, the 22^nd straight game this season he's fielded the position due to the season-ending elbow injury suffered by Michael Strentz.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

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