Ragin Cajuns thump Aggies

<blockquote><p align=justify>LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Pitchers aren't supposed to have success at New Mexico State's Presley Askew Field.

But Austin Faught and Kraig Schambough combined to shut out the Aggies over the final six innings here Saturday night, helping boost Louisiana's Ragin' Cajun baseball team to a 14-4 victory and into more firm control of the Sun Belt Conference race.

The win by the Cajuns (41-10, 13-4 Sun Belt), coupled with South Alabama's 11-3 home loss to New Orleans, puts UL three games ahead of the Jaguars (13-7) on the loss side heading into today's 2:05 p.m. (CDT) finale with NMSU.

The win also gives UL the chance to sweep a conference road series for the second straight time, and sweep the Aggies (24-22, 9-8) in Las Cruces for the first time.

"We have to keep doing what we did tonight and the night before (a 21-8 win)," said Cajun coach Tony Robichaux. "We have to keep swinging the bats and building up our lead."

After last night's school-record 27-hit performance, the Cajuns followed up with 12 hits. But that was more than enough to support Faught and Schambough, who combined on an eight-hitter - the second-fewest hits the Aggies have had at home this year and the fewest in league play.

"Austin settled in," Robichaux said. "He didn't have his best stuff and was a little wild early. He was a pitch away from coming out a couple of times, but he kept wiggling off the hook. Hitters were having a tough time picking up spin rotation, so we didn't think they'd have much success against Schambough."

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The Cajun hitters got to NMSU starter Jason Conner (7-4) early, with Dallas Morris' two-run double in the first providing an early lead and Justin Merendino's second grand-slam of the season one inning later giving UL the lead for good.

NMSU's Adam Harvey had a solo homer in the third that cut the margin to 7-4, but that was as close as the Aggies would get. John Coker's RBI double - one of his three RBIs - and an RBI single by Morris provided two runs in the fourth.

Aggie reliever Tyler Sturdevant walked three straight batters with one out in the seventh and then hit Coker to force in a run. Josh Landry followed with a clinching two-run double that made it 12-4 before UL added two insurance runs in the ninth.

"We got some big two-out hits," Robichaux said. "You have to do that here."

Robichaux said that either freshman lefthander Hunter Moody (1-0) or senior righthander Micah Cockrell (4-3) will start today's series finale against Aggie lefthander Bryan Robinson (4-2).
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We need to get another win today, it would be huge to sweep these guys at there place. They were very cocky and really didn't respect us going in to the series so lets bury them

A WAC packing wracking would be nice.