UL Loses Lead After Grand Slam and Falls in Opener at UALR

Contact: Matt Hebert

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A grand slam home run by Kaleb Jobe in the second inning erased an early deficit and Chance Cleveland recovered from a shaky first inning to lead UALR to a 7-2 victory over Louisiana Friday evening at Gary Hogan Field.

Jobe's grand slam pulled UALR (21-20, 8-11 Sun Belt) ahead 4-1 and Cleveland, who remained undefeated at home in 2012, protected the lead.

After a heavy workload in the first inning which featured 26 pitches and a run allowed off three base hits, Cleveland held the Cajuns (19-22, 7-12 Sun Belt) to two hits over the next four frames – retiring the side in order in the third and fifth inning – and faced the minimum during the stretch.

More importantly he averaged no more than 12 pitches per inning during that key stretch which allowed him to pitch deeper into the contest, lasting through 7 2/3 innings.

Jordan Nicholson held the Trojans in check after the grand slam until a pair of two-out singles in the fifth inning plated a run and ended his outing on the mound.

Cord Cockrell retired the first four Trojans he faced to keep the deficit at four runs. In the seventh inning a pair walks and a wild pitch allowed UALR to extend the lead to 7-1. The wild pitch plated the first run and Cockrell's second walk loaded the bases setting up a run which crossed on a fielder's choice grounder.

The Cajuns took advantage of Cleveland beginning to wear down in the eighth inning as Brian Bowman was hit by a pitch and consecutive two-out walks to Chase Compton and Dylan Butler loaded the bases. Bowman scored the Cajuns second run of the contest on a passed ball on the first offering from reliever Andrew Hohn.

Hohn recovered to strikeout Logan Preston and Bubba Cooper bounced back from a leadoff walk in the ninth inning to lock up the victory for the Trojans ending a 16-game losing streak to the Ragin' Cajuns.

UALR picked up its first win over UL since claiming game one of a doubleheader on April 30, 2006 at Gary Hogan Field. The Cajuns had swept the season series the previous five years.

The two teams continue their Sun Belt series on Saturday at 4 p.m. Louisiana is scheduled to start lefthander Chris Griffitt (5-2, 3.56 ERA) and UALR is slated to send righty Blake Huffman (4-3, 6.45 ERA) to the mound.

Cleveland pitched 7 2/3 innings, allowed just one earned run and struck out nine Cajuns on the way to his Sun Belt-leading eighth victory.

Nicholson was charged with five runs off nine hits over 4 2/3 innings, his shortest outing in Sun Belt play this season. The senior from Ruston came away without a victory for the sixth straight start and fell to 3-5.

Tyler Girouard led the Cajuns at the plate with a 2-for-3 performance which marked his eighth multiple-hit game. The Cajuns top five hitters in the lineup combined to produce six of the squad's seven base hits.

Four Trojans collected multiple-hit games led by four hits from Cameron Bentley. Jobe led UALR with four RBI, all coming on the second inning grand slam.

UL dropped a series opener for the fifth straight weekend and with the loss dropped into eighth place – potentially ninth place depending on the outcome of the ULM-WKU contest – in the Sun Belt standings behind UALR.

An infield single by Jace Conrad and live drive off the leg of Cleveland by Compton which rolled into left field gave the Cajuns runners on the corners with one out in the opening frame.

Cleveland struck out Butler after a pair of near-miss home runs on long foul balls down the left field line, but Girouard came through with two outs sending a chopper past first baseman Myles Parma to plate Conrad for a 1-0 lead.

A pair of ground balls to shortstop helped Nicholson prevent the Trojans from pulling even after a leadoff double by Bentley. The first grounder held Bentley at second base and the subsequent one allowed Ryan Leonards to throw out Bentley attempting to advance to third base. Nicholson struck out Nick Rountree to close out the inning.

UALR got the leadoff batter aboard for the second straight inning when Blake Johnson singled to start the bottom of the second inning.

Then a pair of free passes – a four-pitch walk to Parma and hit by pitch on a full count to Chris Burk – which Tony Robichaux said the Cajuns needed to stay away from in the small confines of Gary Hogan Field against a team with a powerful lineup cost the Cajuns the lead.

Jobe lifted a home run over the right field wall for a grand slam that would have only been a two-run shot had it not been for the free passes. Two batters later, a double play ball stopped the Trojans' production.

BASES NOTED: Tyler Girouard recorded a multiple-hit game for the third straight start…Dating back to the Saturday game of the South Alabama series, Girouard has posted two hits in each his last three starts (6-for-11 during the streak)…The double play turned by the Cajuns in the second inning was the team's 27^th of the season…Cajuns pitching surrendered six free passes (five walks, one hit by pitch)…Chance Cleveland did not allow a free pass to the Cajuns until the hit by pitch and consecutive walks in the eighth inning…Kaleb Jobe's grand slam home run was the first grand slam allowed by UL pitching in 2012…Cord Cockrell tossed 3 1/3 innings in relief of Jordan Nicholson, his longest relief outing since working four full innings at La.-Monroe on March 18…Before UALR scored twice in the seventh inning, Cockrell had an active string of 6 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings of relief in Sun Belt play…UL pitching held the opposition to single digits for the 40^th time in 41 games and the 25^th straight game since allowing 11 to Southern Miss on March 11…Friday's win was only the 14^th for UALR all-time in 59 meetings with Louisiana…Cajuns hold a 45-14 series advantage (22-9 at Gary Hogan Field).

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

UL Loses Lead After Grand Slam and Falls in Opener at UALR

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