SoMi Spoils UL Opener, 6-0
UL – Southern Miss’ Barry Bowden threw a complete-game two-hit shutout, striking out 10 batters as the 29th-ranked Golden Eagles spoiled Louisiana’s home opener 6-0 Friday on “Gene Bacque Night” at the M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field.
Louisiana (2-4), which has lost four straight games, suffered its first home-opening defeat since Feb. 17, 1993, when the Ragin’ Cajuns lost 13-11 to Nicholls State. Head coach Tony Robichaux is now 13-1 all-time in home openers at “The Tigue”.
Friday night’s crowd of 2,978 was the largest opening-day crowd at “The Tigue” since Feb. 11, 2005 versus Louisiana Tech.
Southern Miss (5-1) only rapped out six hits as a team, including two home runs.
Danny Farquhar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) was unable to repeat his magical performance from last week’s season opener, as the junior was touched for five runs on five hits in six innings of work. Farquhar retired the first 13 batters he faced, finishing with a season-high-tying nine innings.
Farquhar surrendered two home runs, matching his freshman and sophomore season totals. Josh Fields’ home run in the fifth inning was Farquhar’s first since April 27, 2007 against Arkansas State.
Freshman Matt Goulas (New Iberia, La.) went 1-for-4, while Nolan Gisclair (Marrero, La.) went 1-for-3 with a standup double.
The home opener began as an old fashioned pitchers’ duel through the first four innings as Farquhar struck out seven of the first 13 batters he faced until the fifth inning when he ran into trouble.
With one out in the fifth, Farquhar hit Keith Winstead for the Golden Eagles’ first baserunner. Michael Ewing followed with a double to the left-center gap before Fields cleared the bases with a three-run homer over the left field fence.
In the home half of the fifth, Gisclair roped a double down the left field line for just the second baserunner of the game. However, Bowman retired the last 13 Cajuns he faced to hold down his second victory of the season.
Friday’s six-run loss to Southern Miss marked the third time in the last four games that a Louisiana opponent has scored its first run in the fifth inning.
Southern Miss added two more runs in the sixth thanks to a two-run home run by Kyle Maxie for a 5-0 Golden Eagles advantage. USM pushed across its sixth and final run in the seventh.
Louisiana continues its home-opening weekend Saturday when the Ragin’ Cajuns host the Miami RedHawks at 2:05 p.m. Saturday’s game will be the first of eight my KLAF-TV (Cox Channel 13) broadcasts this season and will feature Don Allen (play-by-play) and Mike Mitchell (color).
RaginCajuns.com
Chris Yandle
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