UL – Preseason Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year Danny Farquhar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) struck out a game-high eight batters, while Louisiana provide early run support as the Ragin’ Cajuns disposed of the FIU Golden Panthers 5-2 Saturday afternoon.

Farquhar (3-3) notched his second straight victory on the mound, allowing two runs on eight hits in eight innings of work. Justin Robichaux (Crowley, La.), for the fourth time in five games, came in the ninth to retire the FIU side for his seventh save.

FIU’s Corey Polizzano (3-3) was touched for the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits in five innings.

Louisiana (11-13, 5-6 Sun Belt) snapped a four-game home losing streak with the win, while moving one game closer to .500 in the league standings. FIU dropped to 11-17 overall with a 4-4 Sun Belt mark.

Freshmen Brian Bowman (Lafayette, La.) and Thad Griffen (Lake Charles, La.) each rapped out a career-high two hits. Bowman went 2-for-3 with two RBI, while Griffen added a double and a triple.

Ryan Mollica, Jorge Castillo and Steve Stropp each tallied two hits and combined for six of the Golden Panthers’ eight hits.

Louisiana overcame its offensive struggles from Friday night, scoring two runs in the first inning for an early 2-0 lead. With Josh Logan (Magee, Miss.) aboard at second base after a two-base fielding error, he moved 90 feet closer to scoring when Polizzano was called for a balk.

Logan then dented the plate on Matt Goulas’ (New Iberia, La.) RBI sacrifice fly to center field. The Cajuns tacked on another run, 2-0, as Bowman singled through the left side to score Hicks for the two-run lead.

Griffen led off the second with a triple that soared into the gap in right-center. Two pitches later, William Long’s (Valrico, Fla.) RBI sacrifice fly to right field scored Griffen for a 3-0 Cajuns lead.

FIU cut into the Cajuns’ three-run lead, plating two runs in the top of the fifth inning. Stropp, who victimized Friday night starter Hunter Moody (Clinton, La.) for a two-run homer, touched Farquhar for a two-run blast to bring Louisiana’s lead to 3-2.

Bowman drew a two-out bases-loaded walk as the Cajuns regained a two-run lead, 4-2, in the fifth inning. The Cajuns had an opportunity to put the Golden Panthers away with Robichaux coming to the plate with two outs. However, Robichaux, with a 2-1 hitter’s count, hit a fly ball to left field to end the inning.

Louisiana’s third sacrifice fly plated its fifth run in the sixth inning. Griffen roped a double down the left field line and later came around to score on Logan’s RBI sacrifice to left field resulting in a 5-2 lead.

After Farquhar held off the Golden Panthers in the seventh and eighth innings, Robichaux entered in the ninth, shutting down the opposition for the fourth time in five games.

The Ragin’ Cajuns will go for the series win Sunday in the rubber match which will begin at 12 p.m. at “The Tigue.”

RaginCajuns.com

Chris Yandle