Troy Rallies in Ninth Inning and Takes Key Series from Cajuns

Contact: Matt Hebert

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LAFAYETTE – Despite a season-high five runs in the first inning and a three-run comeback in the seventh inning the Ragin' Cajuns baseball team found itself on the losing end of a 10-8 contest to Troy Sunday afternoon at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field after the Trojans staged their second ninth inning rally of the weekend.

After losing an early 5-1 lead after Troy scored three times fifth and seventh inning to take a 7-5 lead, the Ragin' Cajuns (21-25, 9-15 Sun Belt) jumped back in front 8-7 in the bottom of the seventh inning using a Jordan Bourque sacrifice fly and two-run double by Daniel Nichols.

Matt Hicks, who got the Cajuns out of the seventh inning jam, made quick work of the Trojans (22-26, 10-14 Sun Belt) in the eighth inning and trotted back out to the mound in the ninth in an attempt to post his second victory of the series.

The Trojans spoiled Hicks' bid at a second victory and Louisiana's chance for its first Sun Belt series victory since Easter Weekend (April 6-8) when a Jo-El Bennett double down the left field line plated the tying run.

After an intentional walk loaded the bases to set up a force play at any base, Hicks struck out Tyler Hannah for the second out of the inning. UL would lose the lead for the second time in the contest, though, after Tyler Vaughn looped a single into center field for two additional runs.

There would be no answer for the Cajuns in the bottom of the ninth as Troy reliever Thomas Austin retired the side in order to wrap up a victory which vaulted the Trojans out of last place and sent UL into last place in the Sun Belt standings.

“Every time we chipped back in we just did something to shoot ourselves in the foot,” head coach Tony Robichaux remarked. “Whether it's walking a guy coming out of the bullpen, not getting out the first guy you face or dropping a fly ball in the outfield.

“We are just on the other side of losing. Now we expect to lose instead of expecting to win. We are going to have to change that around in the next two series.”

Louisiana suffered a Sun Belt series defeat for the fourth consecutive weekend. The series loss was the first-ever to Troy at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field.

The Trojans, who took 2-of-3 at Riddle-Pace Field in Troy, Ala., last season, have now won the last two Sun Belt series between the two programs after the Cajuns had won the first five.

The Cajuns will spend next week on the road with a midweek trip to Tulane on Tuesday, May 8 and a three-game Sun Belt series at Middle Tennessee Friday-Sunday, May 11-13.

Four different players fueled a balanced attack for the Cajuns. Bourque, Tyler Girouard, Nichols and Chris Sinclair each tallied two RBI. Jace Conrad registered his third three-hit game of the season.

Freshman Austin Robichaux made his first career Sun Belt start and did not factor into the decision after he was lifted after 4 2/3 innings of work. Robichaux scattered five hits and of the four runs he was charged with only two scored while he was on the mound.

“I thought Austin gave us a chance to win. He did a great job of battling, especially for a true freshman,” Robichaux said. “We just need to get more people that will battle and expect to win. That is the bottom line.

“We've got ourselves in a position now where we are waiting for something bad to happen, and so something bad happens. We've got to clear that to be able to finish these next two series.”

The Trojans also had a quartet of players with two RBI, with Vaughn completing the group on his game-winning hit in the ninth inning.

Austin, who allowed three inherited runners to score in the bottom of the seventh which gave UL the lead, came back with zeros in the eighth and ninth inning to notch his third victory of the season.

The Trojans' 10 runs marked only the second time this season that Louisiana surrendered double figures and first time since allowing 11 to Southern Miss on March 11.

The Trojans took advantage of a Robichaux balk to register a run in the top of the first inning. Pierce singled with two outs, moved to second on the balk and scored when Boone Shear singled through the right side.

Louisiana responded in the bottom of the first inning, posting a three-plus run inning for the 23^rd time this season to provide a sturdy cushion that allowed Robichaux to settle in.

Ryan Leonards singled up the middle, then a Conrad sacrifice bunt attempt turned into a bunt single and quickly the Cajuns had two runners aboard. Two batters later, following a Dylan Butler groundout and Compton walk, Girouard lifted a ground rule double down the left field line to score Leonards and Conrad and give UL a 2-1 lead.

Bourque followed with a sacrifice fly for the third run of the inning. After Troy starter Ryan Brady walked Nichols, a double off the right field fence from Sinclair cleared the bases, upped the lead to 5-1 and chased the Trojans starter off the mound.

Cass Abercrombie threw two pitches and collected a grounder from Brian Bowman to halt the Cajuns surge.

The second through fourth innings became a back-and-forth battle of scoreless frames between Robichaux and Nate Hill.

Hill retired the Cajuns in order in the second inning, beginning a string of scoreless frames which bought time for the Trojans to rally and eventually claim their second lead of the day.

UL had a chance to extend the early advantage, getting a runner to third base in the third and fourth innings. However, a double play ended the third inning and a caught stealing in the fourth inning – the second of that frame – held the Cajuns at five runs.

The Trojans crept back into the contest plating three runs off Robichaux in the top of the fifth inning, all coming without the benefit of a hit. The first tally came on a fielding error just before Robichaux was lifted from the mound, then a bases-loaded walk by Jordan Harrison and Joe Zimmerman wild pitch led to two additional runs that cut the lead to 5-4.

BASES NOTED: The crowd of 1,856 increased the season total attendance at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field to 50,211, giving the Cajuns 50,000-plus in total attendance for the fourth straight season and seventh time in the last eight seasons…Austin Robichaux, who settled for a no-decision, received the same result his brother Justin did when he made his first career Sun Belt start…Justin, head coach Tony Robichaux's eldest son, pitched and played first base for UL from 2007-10 and received a no-decision at FIU on April 1, 2007 in his first career Sun Belt start after tossing 4 2/3 innings…Louisiana posted two three-plus run innings, upping the season total to 24…The Cajuns are 13-5 in contests in which the offense posts a three-run inning…Tyler Girouard's sacrifice bunt in the third inning was the Cajuns' 51^st of the season leaving the team eight shy of tying the school record of 59 set last season…Girouard collected his eighth sacrifice bunt, which is second-most on the team trailing the nine by Tyler Frederick…A total of 10 Cajuns have successfully executed multiple sacrifice bunts this season…UL pounded out 11 base hits, marking the eighth time in the past 11 games the squad has reached double figures…Chase Compton went 2-for-3 at the plate to register his team-leading 17^th multi-hit game…UL pitching, which has held the opposition to five runs or less 25 times, has surrendered six or more runs in six consecutive games (UALR and Troy series)…Troy trimmed the Cajuns lead in the all-time series to 18-11…UL still holds a commanding 12-6 lead in games played at “The Tigue”…Louisiana, which dropped the final two games of the series, has lost back-to-back games to Troy for the first time in the all-time series.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Troy Rallies in Ninth Inning and Takes Key Series from Cajuns

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