Pitching, Hepworth's Homer Carries Louisiana Past Texas State, 2-0
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Chase Morgan and Matthew Holzhammer combined on a two-hit shutout and Carson Hepworth broke up a scoreless contest with a two-out, two-run home run to lead Louisiana to a 2-0 win over Texas State in a Sun Belt Conference contest on Friday at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.
The three-game series continues on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with fans able to listen to the game in the Lafayette area on KPEL-FM (96.5) and worldwide on the Varsity Network app.
The win by Louisiana (16-16, 7-3 SBC), its second straight in SBC play and 10th straight over Texas State (13-16, 4-6 SBC), moved the Ragin' Cajuns into a four-way tie for first place in the Sun Belt Conference, along with Coastal Carolina and Troy, after Southern Miss' 4-3 loss at Marshall.
The game was a pitcher's duel into the eighth inning between Morgan and Texas State's Alex Valentin (4-2). Morgan, who posted his second consecutive quality start, allowed both hits to Texas State's Dawson Park before being lifted for Holzhammer in the eighth inning.
Valentin went 7.1 innings for the Bobcats, surrendering a pair of hits with six strikeouts before being relieved by Matthew Tippie.
Morgan faced the minimum through the first 3.1 innings for Louisiana before Park reached on a hard-hit single to third for the Bobcats' first hit of the game.
A walk to Chase Mora put runners on first and second before Rocca Garza-Gongora drew a two-out walk to load the bases for the first threat of the night. Morgan would get out of the jam when he got Austin Eaton to fly out to end the inning.
Valentin allowed a one-out single to Owen Galt in the first inning before not allowing another base runner until Caleb Stelly's two-out walk in the fourth. The Ragin' Cajuns threatened in the fifth when Lee Amedee hit a one-out double, but Valentin would get a grounder and strikeout to end the frame.
Morgan, who fanned five batters in a 102-pitch performance, would retire the side in the seventh which was capped by Hepworth's over-the-shoulder grab on the warning track on a ball hit by Alan Shibley.
Justin Vossos would lead off the eighth inning with a walk to chase Morgan before pinch-hitter Samson Pugh moved Vossos over to second on a sacrifice bunt. Holzhammer (1-3) would close out the inning by fanning Texas State's top two hitters in the lineup – Ryne Farber and Park – to end the frame.
Pinch-hitter Casey Artigues drew a leadoff walk from Valentin in the bottom of the eighth before Brooks Wright popped up an attempted sacrifice bunt. Pinch-runner Kasen Bellard then stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch by Tippie before Hepworth followed two batters later with his first home run in a Louisiana uniform.
Holzhammer, who tied his career-high with five strikeouts, allowed a leadoff walk to Mora in the ninth before fanning Ian Collier, Garza-Gongora and pinch-hitter Cole Tabor to end the game.
The combined two-hitter was Louisiana's first since Carson Fluno, Andrew Herrmann and Holzhammer combined to defeat Rice on February 25, 2024 while the combined shutout was the Ragin' Cajuns first since five pitchers (JT Etheridge, Blake Marshall, JR Tollett, Fluno and LP Langevin) blanked Jackson State on May 7, 2024.
