University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Sunday, February 20
Lafayette
12:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
2-1
5
vs
3
UC Irvine
1-2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
UC Irvine
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
5
1
Louisiana
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
3
X
5
6
0
Roccaforte's Hit Helps Louisiana Claim Series From UC Irvine, 5-3
2/20/2022 5:33:00 PM | Baseball
Three pitchers scatter five hits and Louisiana takes 2 of 3 from No. 14-ranked Anteaters
LAFAYETTE – Carson Roccaforte delivered a two-run, RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning and CJ Willis drove in an insurance run two batters later to help the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Baseball team to a 5-3 victory over No. 14-ranked UC Irvine in the finale of a three-game series on Sunday at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.
Jeff Wilson and two relievers scattered five hits as Louisiana (2-1) rallied to claim the series win against UC Irvine (1-2), the defending Big West Conference champions. Connor Kimple had a pair of hits for Louisiana, including homering for the third consecutive game while Jonathan Brandon added an RBI single.
Trailing 3-2, heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, Max Marusak led off with a single up the middle before stealing second off UCI reliever Jacob King (0-1). Tyler Robertson drew a walk and Louisiana executed a successful double steal as King struck out Kyle DeBarge.
Kimple, who gave Louisiana a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a solo home run off UCI starter Danny Suarez, was then intentionally walked to load the bases before Roccaforte hit an 0-and-1 pitch through the right side to drive in Marusak and Robertson for a 4-3 lead.
Willis than gave Louisiana insurance after he laced a two-out single to center field to drive in pinch-runner Heath Hood.
Bo Bonds (1-0), the third pitcher used by Louisiana, pitched the final 3.1 innings of hitless relief with five strikeouts to earn the win in his Ragin' Cajuns debut. Wilson, making his first career start, pitched a career-best 4.1 innings as he retired the first eight batters he faced and fanned three batters with no walks before giving way to Trey LaFleur, who did not allow a hit in 1.1 innings of work.
Kimple capped off a successful weekend at the plate after going 5-for-10 with three home runs, six RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base, after drilling a 1-and-0 pitch from Suarez in the second inning over the left-field wall. The senior, who started at designated hitter in the first two games before starting in left field in the finale, became the first player since Hunter Kasuls in 2019 to homer in three consecutive games.
Roccaforte, who finished 1-for-3, drew a second-inning walk after an 11-pitch at-bat before scoring when Brandon hit a two-out single up the middle and giving Louisiana a 2-0 lead.
UC Irvine responded in the third inning after Wilson fanned Luke Spillane and got Abraham Garcia-Pacheco to fly out to center to open the frame. Taishi Nakewake snapped Wilson's start with a single through the left side before Woody Hadeen and Nathan Church reached on singles and Thomas McCaffery hit a two-run double to give UC Irvine a 3-2 lead.
Suarez, making his collegiate debut for the Anteaters, allowed a pair of hits and struck out six batters in 4.0 innings of work. King, who earned the save in the Anteaters' 7-4 win in the series-opener on Friday, gave up three runs on three hits in 0.2 innings to earn the loss.
Louisiana will wrap up its season-opening, four-game homestand on Tuesday when it entertains in-state foe and Southland Conference preseason favorite Southeastern Louisiana (2-1) on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
For the latest updates on Ragin' Cajuns baseball, follow on Facebook (RaginCajunsBaseball), Twitter (@RaginCajunsBSB) and Instagram (@RaginCajunsBSB) or check RaginCajuns.com.
Jeff Wilson and two relievers scattered five hits as Louisiana (2-1) rallied to claim the series win against UC Irvine (1-2), the defending Big West Conference champions. Connor Kimple had a pair of hits for Louisiana, including homering for the third consecutive game while Jonathan Brandon added an RBI single.
Trailing 3-2, heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, Max Marusak led off with a single up the middle before stealing second off UCI reliever Jacob King (0-1). Tyler Robertson drew a walk and Louisiana executed a successful double steal as King struck out Kyle DeBarge.
Kimple, who gave Louisiana a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a solo home run off UCI starter Danny Suarez, was then intentionally walked to load the bases before Roccaforte hit an 0-and-1 pitch through the right side to drive in Marusak and Robertson for a 4-3 lead.
Willis than gave Louisiana insurance after he laced a two-out single to center field to drive in pinch-runner Heath Hood.
Bo Bonds (1-0), the third pitcher used by Louisiana, pitched the final 3.1 innings of hitless relief with five strikeouts to earn the win in his Ragin' Cajuns debut. Wilson, making his first career start, pitched a career-best 4.1 innings as he retired the first eight batters he faced and fanned three batters with no walks before giving way to Trey LaFleur, who did not allow a hit in 1.1 innings of work.
Kimple capped off a successful weekend at the plate after going 5-for-10 with three home runs, six RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base, after drilling a 1-and-0 pitch from Suarez in the second inning over the left-field wall. The senior, who started at designated hitter in the first two games before starting in left field in the finale, became the first player since Hunter Kasuls in 2019 to homer in three consecutive games.
Roccaforte, who finished 1-for-3, drew a second-inning walk after an 11-pitch at-bat before scoring when Brandon hit a two-out single up the middle and giving Louisiana a 2-0 lead.
UC Irvine responded in the third inning after Wilson fanned Luke Spillane and got Abraham Garcia-Pacheco to fly out to center to open the frame. Taishi Nakewake snapped Wilson's start with a single through the left side before Woody Hadeen and Nathan Church reached on singles and Thomas McCaffery hit a two-run double to give UC Irvine a 3-2 lead.
Suarez, making his collegiate debut for the Anteaters, allowed a pair of hits and struck out six batters in 4.0 innings of work. King, who earned the save in the Anteaters' 7-4 win in the series-opener on Friday, gave up three runs on three hits in 0.2 innings to earn the loss.
Louisiana will wrap up its season-opening, four-game homestand on Tuesday when it entertains in-state foe and Southland Conference preseason favorite Southeastern Louisiana (2-1) on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
For the latest updates on Ragin' Cajuns baseball, follow on Facebook (RaginCajunsBaseball), Twitter (@RaginCajunsBSB) and Instagram (@RaginCajunsBSB) or check RaginCajuns.com.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bonds, Bo (1-0)
L: King, Jacob (0-1)
Batting:
2B: McCaffrey, Thomas 1
RBI: Church, Nathan 1 ; McCaffrey, Thomas 2
SH: Nakawake, Taishi 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hadeen, Woody 1 ; Church, Nathan 1 ; Nakawake, Taishi 1
SB: Hadeen, Woody 1
CS: Torres, Justin 1
Batting:
HR: Kimple, Connor 1
RBI: Kimple, Connor 1 ; Roccaforte, Carson 2 ; Willis, CJ 1 ; Brandon, Jonathan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Marusak, Max 1 ; Robertson, Tyler 1 ; Kimple, Connor 1 ; Hood, Heath 1 ; Roccaforte, Carson 1
SB: Marusak, Max 2 ; Robertson, Tyler 2 ; Kimple, Connor 1
HBP: Robertson, Tyler 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
IF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
OF/IF
/ Baseball1B/OF
/ Baseball
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