University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

Valiant Effort Falls Short For Cajuns In SBC Championship Game
5/28/2023 4:38:00 PM | Baseball
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Justin Storm pitched 5.2 innings of scoreless relief while Dustin Dickerson, Danny Lynch and Slade Wilks each homered in leading No. 16-ranked Southern Miss to a 6-2 win over the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns in the championship game of the 2023 Guardian Credit Sun Belt Conference Championships on Sunday at Riverwalk Stadium.
Playing in the championship game for the second consecutive year after posting two wins over No. 7-ranked Coastal Carolina on Saturday, Louisiana (40-22) collected six hits and led 2-1 in the fourth when Heath Hood singled up the middle to drive in Kyle DeBarge and Conor Higgs.
USM (41-17), which claimed its first SBC Championship title, tied the game in the fourth before taking a 3-2 lead in the fifth before Dickerson singled up the middle to score Matthew Etzel for a 3-2 lead.
Storm (5-1) relieved USM starter Niko Mazza in the fourth inning and fanned eight batters while scattering three hits the rest of the way.
Max Marusak and Higgs each doubled for Louisiana while DeBarge, John Taylor and Will Veillon each singled. DeBarge, Carson Roccaforte, Blake Marshall and CJ Willis were named to the SBC All-Tournament team.
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.
Playing in the championship game for the second consecutive year after posting two wins over No. 7-ranked Coastal Carolina on Saturday, Louisiana (40-22) collected six hits and led 2-1 in the fourth when Heath Hood singled up the middle to drive in Kyle DeBarge and Conor Higgs.
USM (41-17), which claimed its first SBC Championship title, tied the game in the fourth before taking a 3-2 lead in the fifth before Dickerson singled up the middle to score Matthew Etzel for a 3-2 lead.
Storm (5-1) relieved USM starter Niko Mazza in the fourth inning and fanned eight batters while scattering three hits the rest of the way.
Max Marusak and Higgs each doubled for Louisiana while DeBarge, John Taylor and Will Veillon each singled. DeBarge, Carson Roccaforte, Blake Marshall and CJ Willis were named to the SBC All-Tournament team.
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: Storm, Justin (5-1)
L: Moody, Brendan (0-5)

Batting:
2B: Marusak, Max 1 ; Higgs, Conor 1
RBI: Hood, Heath 2
Base Running:
RUNS: DeBarge, Kyle 1 ; Higgs, Conor 1

Batting:
2B: Lynch, Danny 1 ; Johnson, Blake 1
HR: Dickerson, Dustin 1 ; Wilks, Slade 1 ; Lynch, Danny 1
RBI: Dickerson, Dustin 2 ; Wilks, Slade 2 ; Lynch, Danny 1 ; Johnson, Blake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Etzel, Matthew 2 ; Dickerson, Dustin 1 ; Wilks, Slade 1 ; Lynch, Danny 1 ; Monistere, Nick 1
SB: Etzel, Matthew 1 ; Sargent, Christopher 1 ; Monistere, Nick 2
CS: Dickerson, Dustin 1
HBP: Monistere, Nick 1
PO: Dickerson, Dustin 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
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