University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
32-18
Louisiana Tech
25-25
Cajuns Drop Midweek Finale at Louisiana Tech, 12-8
5/9/2023 11:58:00 PM | Baseball
Walker Burchfield's pinch-hit, grand slam in the seventh inning helped Louisiana Tech (25-25) erase an 8-6 deficit before Brody Drost added a solo shot in the eighth.
Louisiana (32-18) took a 1-0 lead when Max Marusak belted the third pitch of the game from starter Alec Sparks to right-center field for his eighth home run of the season. The Ragin' Cajuns increased their lead to 2-0 in the second when Will Veillon and John Taylor executed a double steal, with Taylor scoring from third and recording Louisiana's school-record 146th stolen base of the season.
The Bulldogs scored four times in the second inning and added a pair of runs without the benefit of a hit in the third to take a 6-2 lead before Louisiana chipped away at the lead.
Louisiana scored four runs in the fifth inning to tie the game at 6-6 as Conor Higgs hit an RBI single, Julian Brock hit a two-run double and Carson Roccaforte followed with a game-tying double into the right-field gap.
Kyle DeBarge's RBI single in the sixth gave Louisiana a 7-6 lead before John Taylor's RBI double in the seventh scored Roccaforte from first.
Jerry Couch (0-1) took the loss for Louisiana while Ethan Bates (4-2) earned the victory for the Bulldogs with five strikeouts in 2.1 scoreless innings.
Taylor led Louisiana at the plate after reaching base five times with three hits and a pair of walks. Roccaforte recorded one of five doubles for the Ragin' Cajuns, to increase his season total to 21 and move into a tie for fifth place in school history.
Louisiana will wrap up its 2023 home schedule beginning Friday when it hosts Texas State in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park. First pitch for Friday's opener is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Single-game tickets are available by visiting the Louisiana Athletics Box Office at the Cajundome or purchasing by visiting Account Manager. For more information call the Louisiana Athletics Box Office at the Cajundome at (337) 265-2104.
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: BATES, Ethan (4-2)
L: Couch, Jerry (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Higgs, Conor 1 ; Brock, Julian 1 ; Roccaforte, Carson 1 ; Taylor, John 1 ; Willis, CJ 1
HR: Marusak, Max 1
RBI: Marusak, Max 1 ; DeBarge, Kyle 1 ; Higgs, Conor 1 ; Brock, Julian 2 ; Roccaforte, Carson 1 ; Taylor, John 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Marusak, Max 2 ; Higgs, Conor 1 ; Brock, Julian 1 ; Roccaforte, Carson 1 ; Taylor, John 1 ; Willis, CJ 2
SB: Taylor, John 2 ; Veillon, Will 1 ; Willis, CJ 1
Batting:
2B: MCLEOD, Logan 1
3B: MYERS, Adarius 1
HR: DAVIS, Dalton 1 ; DROST, Brody 1 ; MATULIA, Philip 1 ; BURCHFIELD, Walker 1
RBI: DAVIS, Dalton 2 ; DROST, Brody 1 ; MATULIA, Philip 1 ; MYERS, Adarius 2 ; SAFFORD, Will 1 ; BURCHFIELD, Walker 4 ; HEGWOOD, Colton 1
Base Running:
RUNS: DAVIS, Dalton 1 ; DROST, Brody 3 ; CORONA, Jorge 1 ; BATES, Ethan 1 ; MATULIA, Philip 2 ; MYERS, Adarius 2 ; BURCHFIELD, Walker 1 ; HEGWOOD, Colton 1
CS: DAVIS, Dalton 1
HBP: DROST, Brody 1 ; BATES, Ethan 1
