Zeigler Claims Rematch With Nicholson as Warhawks Take Opener

Contact: Matt Hebert

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LAFAYETTE – In a rematch of former teammates featuring Louisiana's Jordan Nicholson and La.-Monroe's Randy Zeigler on Thursday at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field, it was the Warhawks' lefty who exacted revenge in an 8-2 triumph.

Back on March 16 in Monroe, Nicholson outlasted Zeigler in a 5-0 complete game shutout.

Thursday night Nicholson wasn't as fortunate, surrendering five runs (all earned) off eight hits in 3 1/3 innings – tying his shortest outing of the season.

Zeigler, on the other hand, pulled a carbon copy of Nicholson's March performance and as a result has the Ragin' Cajuns now backed into the corner in all likelihood needing wins in the final two games of the series to advance to the Sun Belt Tournament.

Zeigler earned a complete game victory for La.-Monroe (26-27, 13-15 Sun Belt) limiting the Cajuns (23-28, 11-17 Sun Belt) to just two runs on five hits with nine strikeouts.

“(Randy) Zeigler has been a good Friday night arm for ULM and you've got to match him, and we didn't match him enough,” head coach Tony Robichaux said. “We did that to him over in Monroe and then they kicked a couple balls and let us into the game. Tonight we didn't match him and they played good defense, so because of that we were on the other side of the result.”

Nicholson was able to work around traffic in the first and second innings and post zeros, but the Warhawks tallied four-run innings in the third and fourth inning to pull away. As a result, the senior from Ruston remains winless on the mound since the complete game victory in Monroe.

“When you look back at Nicholson's outing up in Monroe he dominated both sides of the plate,” Robichaux remarked. “Tonight their lefties just did a great job against us.”

The Warhawks more than doubled UL at the plate outhitting the Cajuns 14-5 in the contest. Sophomore Chase Compton was the lone Cajun with multiple hits.

The Cajuns performance came on the heels of the squad plating 24 runs and producing 33 hits in a doubleheader sweep of Middle Tennessee last Saturday that kept the season alive.

“All season we have been inconsistent,” Robichaux said. “This is one of those things we have been fighting so we will just have to flush this and hopefully (Chris) Griffitt can give us a good start.”

The Cajuns and Warhawks continue the regular-season ending series on Friday at 6 p.m. Lefthander Chris Griffitt (6-3, 3.88 ERA) will take the mound for UL and he'll be opposed by La.-Monroe's righthander Cale Wine (6-4, 4.20 ERA).

Jordan Harrison pitched the final five innings for Louisiana, scattering three hits and holding the Warhawks scoreless. His outing enabled the rest of the Cajuns bullpen to rest up for the final two games of the series. The only other reliever used was Cord Cockrell and he tossed just 2/3 innings.

The Cajuns were handed their third straight home defeat and fell to 2-5 vs. the Warhawks at “The Tigue” in SBC regular season action.

UL heads into Friday's action in last place in the Sun Belt standings, trailing UALR and Western Kentucky by one game for eighth place and La.-Monroe, Middle Tennessee and Troy by two games for fifth place.

In the top of the second, Nicholson overcame a leadoff double by Corben Green with back-to-back strikeouts to end an early Warhawk threat.

Green gave La.-Monroe the lead in the top of the third on his second hit of the contest, singling up the middle to score Jeremy Sy. who led off the inning with a single to left field.

Later in the inning, with the bases loaded Brandon Alexander dumped a two-out single into right field to score three runs and give the Warhawks a 4-0 advantage.

Chris Sinclair got the Cajuns on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third on his fifth home run of the year as he sent the first pitch he saw over into the pine trees beyond the right field fence.

La.-Monroe picked up four more runs on four hits in the top of the fourth knocking Nicholson from the contest. A solo home run by Les Aulds highlighted the scoring in the inning.

Jordan Bourque capped the scoring in the contest with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth. The homer was the first of Bourque's career at UL.

Zeigler retired the side in order in the seventh, benefitted from a double play ball in the eighth to work around two Cajuns hits, then retired the side again in the ninth inning to cap off his second victory in as many appearances at “The Tigue” (tossed eight innings and allowed just one earned run in a 6-3 victory on March 19, 2011).

BASES NOTED: The Cajuns and Warhawks opened the eighth Sun Belt series between the two programs, but just the third at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field…Louisiana has yet to claim a Sun Belt series from La.-Monroe at “The Tigue”…Jordan Nicholson and Randy Zeigler were teammates at LSU in 2009, then both transferred the following season (Nicholson to UL and Zeigler to Bossier Parish CC prior to joining La.-Monroe)…Cajuns catcher Chris Sinclair began his career at La.-Monroe, playing his freshman season there before transferring to Western Nevada College…Jace Conrad fielded four more chances flawlessly, extending his current string of error-free chances to 75…Earlier in the season, Conrad fielded 135 consecutive chances without error from Feb. 24-April 20…Since the Sun Belt opening victory at La.-Monroe on March 16, Jordan Nicholson has had to settle for six losses and three no-decisions…The Cajuns finished 3-7 in Sun Belt series openers…UL has won the middle game of a SBC series in six of nine attempts…Chase Compton picked up his team-leading 20th mutliple-hit game, increasing his career multi-hit games total to 22...The Warhawks trimmed the Cajuns edge in Sun Belt matchups to 12-10 and have claimed five of the last six meetings at "The Tigue"...UL is finishing the regular season at home for the first time since 2008 (swept UNO May 15-17, 2008)…UL's pitching staff has limited the opposition to single digits in 49 of 51 games…Thursday's game marked the opening of the final home series for a group of seven Cajuns seniors comprised of: Brian Bowman, Jordan Bourque, Ethan Hebert, Daniel Nichols, Jordan Nicholson, Chris Sinclair and Joe Zimmermann.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Zeigler Claims Rematch With Nicholson as Warhawks Take Opener

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