Cajuns Fall in Series Finale as USM Benefits From Big Innings

Contact: Matt Hebert

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LAFAYETTE – On Saturday, Southern Miss used home runs to get by the Cajuns and even the series. In the series finale on Sunday, the Golden Eagles used two big scoring innings to get their runs in an 11-3 victory that claimed the weekend series over the Ragin' Cajuns baseball team at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field.

Aided by a pair of Cajuns errors in the fifth inning, the Golden Eages (10-6) scored six runs, five of them unearned, to erase a 2-0 deficit which had existed since a two-out, two RBI double by the Cajuns' Dylan Butler in the first inning.

Louisiana (9-7) collected one of the runs back in the bottom of the sixth when Tyler Frederick (leadoff single) scored on a fielder's choice grounder from Dominick Francia to make it 6-3.

Cajuns reliever Derek Howell held USM scoreless for three innings after a Blake Brown homer capped off the six-spot in the fifth inning which kept his squad within striking distance. USM reliever Cameron Giannini was equally effective, limiting UL to one hit over the final three innings.

USM added five more runs in the top of the ninth inning after Howell surrendered back-to-back singles and a hit by pitch to load the bases with no outs. Three hits off of Cord Cockrell and a sacrifice fly allowed the Golden Eagles to pull away.

“Austin (Robichaux) pitched good enough to win today for us and threw really well against a good team,” head coach Tony Robichaux said. “But you have to make critical plays at critical times in the game and we didn't do that.

“Relief pitchers have to get the first guy out that they face when they come into the game and we were unable to do that. We also gave up two big innings. Those were the types of things we did early in the year that we have to stay focused on. We were able to stay away from that in game one and game two, but we've got to stay away from it completely.”

Sunday's game marked the final non-conference weekend contest of the season. Louisiana opens Sun Belt Conference play Friday-Sunday, March 16-18 in Monroe against in-state rival La.-Monroe at Warhawk Field – the first of 10 consecutive weekends of league play to close out the season.

UL wraps up its current four-game homestand on Tuesday, March 13 hosting Southern University at 6 p.m. The first of three Season Ticket Redemption Nights will be observed allowing season ticket holders to redeem unused season tickets for extras to the contest with the Jaguars.

Austin Robichaux, who zipped through the Golden Eagles lineup until surrendering five runs off four hits in the fifth inning, took the loss falling to 0-2 in his rookie campaign.

Butler extended his season-best hitting streak to seven games, a streak which dates back to the March 3 contest vs. Kansas at the UTSA Classic

Andrew Pierce, who scattered nine hits over six innings and allowed only the Frederick run off the Francia fielder's choice in the sixth inning after the first inning, posted the victory. Giannini's three-inning scoreless relief effort garnered him the save.

Mason Robbins and Brown combined for seven RBI to pace the Golden Eagles' offense.

The Cajuns scored in the first inning for the second straight day when Butler doubled over the reach of USM left fielder Ryan Ellis to plate Brian Bowman (leadoff single) and Ryan Leonards (one-out walk).

Robichaux held the Golden Eagles hitless through the first two innings and retired seven in a row before a one-out double from Dillon Day in the third inning marked USM's first hit of the game.

Louisiana got a runner to third base in the bottom of the fourth inning with two outs after Francia singled with two outs, stole second and moved up on an Austin Roussel throwing error. Pierce induced a grounder to hold the Cajuns lead at 2-0.

A Roussell sacrifice fly followed up a one-out triple from Day in the Golden Eagles' half of the fifth and trimmed the UL lead to 2-1. An infield single by Michael Sterling gave USM a baserunner, then a pair of Cajuns errors cost the squad the lead.

Connor Barron pushed a bunt up the third base line that Robichaux fielded, but the throw to first base sailed by Chase Compton and allowed Sterling to advance home for the equalizer.

A Leonards two-out error kept the inning alive and Robbins doubled down the right field line to bring home Barron with the go-ahead run. USM extended its lead to 6-2 when Brown greeted Howell with a three-run homer over the right field fence.

BASES NOTED: Louisiana scored first for the 11th time in 16 outings this season when two runs crossed in the bottom of the first inning on a Dylan Butler double…The Cajuns have scored 15 runs in the first inning, outscoring opponents 15-5…Dylan Butler has posted at least one RBI in six of the last seven games, increasing his team-leading total to 17…Justin Robichaux, the eldest son of head coach Tony Robichaux, was in attendance to watch as his younger brother Austin Robichaux start on the mound…Sunday was Justin Robichaux's birthday – he turned 24-years old…Brian Bowman picked up a stolen base in the second inning, increasing his season total to 12 which is just shy of his personal single-season best 17 set in 2010…Freshman Jace Conrad played his 11^th consecutive error-free ball game, a streak which dates back to the Saturday game of the Towson series…Conrad is currently on a string of 46 consecutive chances fielded without an error…The series loss ended a string of five consecutive series victories for UL at “The Tigue” and was the first series loss at home for the Cajuns since dropping 2-of-3 to La.-Monroe during Sun Belt opening weekend last season…USM trimmed the Cajuns all-time series lead to 19-18 and claimed the weekend series from UL for the fourth time in six years since the rivalry renewed in 2007…UL lost for only the fifth time in 17 meetings with USM at “The Tigue”.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Cajuns Fall in Series Finale as USM Benefits From Big Innings

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