LINCOLN, Neb. - For the second time in five days, an early lead and a solid pitching performance squandered resulted in defeat for Louisiana as the Ragin’ Cajuns fell to the sixth-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers 4-3 Saturday afternoon at Hawks Field.

Louisiana’s (22-24) loss in game one of the day-night doubleheader was its fifth straight non-conference road loss, while Nebraska (35-8-1) improved to 25-2-1 this season at home.

Senior southpaw Hunter Moody (Clinton, La.) will have to wait another week in his pursuit for career win No. 30 as he fought to a no-decision in game one. Nebraska hitters tagged Moody for three runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. Moody struck out a season non-conference-low three batters on 106 pitches.

Buddy Glass (Clermont, Fla.) was hard-luck loser in game one. Glass (2-3) was responsible for Nebraska’s unearned run in the eighth on two hits in 2 1/3 innings of relief.

Nebraska’s Johnny Dorn was also dealt the no-decision. Dorn, who struck out a game-high 11 batters, allowed three runs on five hits with two walks in 7 2/3 innings. Zach Herr (3-0) notched his third win of the season, striking out three of the final four batters.

Travis Whipple (Morgan City, La.) recorded two of the Cajuns’ five hits in the matinee, finishing 2-for-2 with a double and a run scored. Chance Harst (Lafayette, La.) went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in the fourth.

Mitch Abeita, Nick Sullivan and Cody Neer each went 2-for-4 for the Huskers with Neer driving in two runs. Ben Kline was the fourth Husker with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-3.

A lead-off single by freshman Brian Bowman (Lafayette, La.) indirectly led to the Cajuns taking an early 1-0 lead in the first. After Bowman’s single to center, Dorn plunked Matt Goulas (New Iberia, La.) putting a pair of runners on base.

Two batters later, Harst drew a one-out walk on four pitches to load the bases. On the ensuing Cajuns at bat, Dorn whipped around in an attempt to pick-off Goulas at second, but his throw hit Goulas’ helmet and bounced into center field. Bowman scored on Dorn’s throwing error for a 1-0 Cajuns lead.

In the fourth, Harst registered just the Cajuns’ second hit while manufacturing their second run with a solo home run to left-center for a 2-0 lead.

Moody was automatic through the first 3 1/3 innings against the Huskers, but Nebraska reeled off three consecutive one-out hits to load the bases in the fourth. With the bases juiced, D.J. Belfonte hit a squibbler far enough down the first base line to allow Abeita to score the Huskers’ first run.

Neer followed with a two-out, two-RBI single back up the middle to give Nebraska its first lead of game one, 3-2.

Nebraska recorded back-to-back one-out hits in the sixth inning and was threatening to extend its one-run lead. A two-out walk from Moody promptly led to his exit from the game in favor of Glass who then forced Jake Mort to ground out to end the inning.

Louisiana took advantage of Nebraska’s inability to pull away as the Cajuns tied the game in the seventh, 3-3. Whipple ripped a lead-off, pinch-hit single through the right side for the Cajuns’ first hit since the fourth inning. Two batters later, Tyler Benzel (Groveland, Fla.) successfully executed a hit-and-run with a single through the left side, advancing Whipple to third.

Greg Fontenot (Lafayette, La.) followed with a RBI fielder’s choice to knot the game at three apiece. The Cajuns later loaded the bases with two outs for Josh Logan (Magee, Miss.), but was unable to check his swing for the third out.

Nebraska seized an extra-out opportunity provided by the Cajuns in the eighth to go ahead for good. Belfonte reached base easily on Jordan Poirrier’s (Reserve, La.) throwing error that drew Harst roughly four feet off the first base bag. The Cajuns’ third error would prove costly three batters later when Neer scored the go-ahead run on a RBI ground out.

Louisiana and Nebraska will conclude their non-conference series with game two of the day-night doubleheader at Hawks Field for a 6:35 p.m. (CT) first pitch.

RaginCajuns.com

Chris Yandle