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BOCA RATON, Fla. – Provided with an early arsenal of runs, senior southpaw Hunter Moody (Clinton, La.) handcuffed Florida Atlantic’s offense to secure Louisiana’s first Sun Belt Conference victory with a solid 9-3 decision Saturday at FAU Stadium.
Louisiana (6-10, 1-4 Sun Belt) snapped a five-game Sun Belt Conference losing streak, earning its first league victory of the season.
Moody (3-1), a two-time Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week honoree, scattered 10 hits, while allowing two runs on a home run in the eighth inning. The senior went a season-long eight innings, striking out three batters.
Although Louisiana managed only seven hits as a team, the Cajuns took full advantage of the 12 walks allowed by the Florida Atlantic (9-6, 2-1 Sun Belt) pitching staff. Matt Goulas (New Iberia, La.) was the Cajuns’ lone multi-hit performer, going 2-for-5 with a RBI. Josh Logan (Magee, Miss.) and Nolan Gisclair (Marrero, La.) each drove in three runs, including a three-run bomb by Gisclair.
Jeff Beliveau (1-1), the losing pitcher, faced 28 batters, allowing four runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings. Beliveau walked 10 Cajuns, while striking out seven more on 116 total pitches. As a team, FAU rapped out 12 hits, while four Owls tallied at least two hits.
Louisiana matched its five-inning total from Friday night, scoring three runs for a 3-0 lead after two innings. With one on, Tyler Benzel (Groveland, Fla.) ripped a one-out stand-up double to deep left-center field, advancing Matt Hicks (Houston, Texas) to third. Two batters later, William Long (Valrico, Fla.) drew a two-out walk to load the bases for Logan.
Logan then cleared the bases, lacing a three-run double in the left-center gap for a 3-0 Cajuns lead. Logan slipped rounding second base, trying to leg out a triple, but was caught in a rundown before being tagged out to end the inning.
The Cajuns added an insurance run in the third, 4-0, thanks to a bases loaded walk. After retiring two of the first three batters he faced, Beliveau walked Hicks and Justin Robichaux (Crowley, La.) to load the bases. Benzel then drew a two-out bases-loaded walk, scoring Gisclair for a four-run lead.
Moody entered into some trouble in the third inning as the senior was touched for back-to-back singles. However, Moody retired the next three batters in order to end Florida Atlantic’s threat and preserve his 4-0 lead.
For the third straight inning, Moody allowed two batters to reach base with two outs, but, as had been the case in all three innings, the Cajuns ace denied FAU of any runs.
Despite leaving the bases loaded in the seventh, the Cajuns plated their fifth run when Blaine LaFleur (Opelousas, La.) drew a two-out bases-loaded walk for a 5-0 lead.
Moody and his Cajuns defense avoided a potentially disastrous seventh inning. Louisiana had been errorless through the first six innings until Nick Arata led off the seventh. A Moody throwing error allowed Arata to advance to second, while a Long fielding error put runners on the corners before recording an out. But, once again, Moody worked his way out of the jam, forcing a FAU double play to end the inning.
The Cajuns put the game out of reach in the eighth. Logan reached on a wild pitch after striking out to lead off the inning and later advanced to third after a two-base throwing error by FAU pitcher Alex Pepe. Gisclair punished Pepe for the mistake as Gisclair launched a three-run home run – his third of the series – for a commanding 8-0 Cajuns lead.
Silversmith single-handedly erased Moody’s shutout effort in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run home run to left-center, cutting the deficit to 8-2.
Louisiana added a ninth-inning insurance run for a seven-run advantage, 9-2.
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Chris Yandle
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