Ragin' Cajuns OutBlast Bulldogs Tuesday, 4-3
UL – Facing a full-count with two out, Matt Goulas (New Iberia, La.) crushed a three-run home run to left field in the eighth inning to give the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns a 4-3 win over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Tuesday on “Armed Forces Night” at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field.
Louisiana (23-25) snapped a four-game losing streak, while the Cajuns committed three errors for the fifth straight game. Louisiana Tech (20-28) has now lost 15 straight times in Lafayette.
Buddy Glass (Clermont, Fla.) rebounded from a difficult outing on Saturday at Nebraska to earn his third win of the season. Glass (3-3) allowed all three Tech runs on five hits with three strikeouts in three full innings of relief.
Junior Danny Farquhar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), making his first start in almost a month, did not figure into the decision Tuesday night. Farquhar was spectacular in his return to the starting rotation, scattering two hits with four strikeouts through six innings. Despite walking a career-high five batters, the filthy right-hander matched his season-opening effort against Army from Feb. 22.
Louisiana Tech’s Alex Richard was charged for the loss as he allowed the eventual game-winning three-run home run. The Cajuns tagged Richard (1-2) for three runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings.
Scott Hawkins (Collierville, Tenn.) accounted for two of the Cajuns’ six hits, finishing 2-for-4. Goulas was 1-for-4, but his one hit was the game-changer. Dillon Guillory (Scott, La.), Brian Bowman (Lafayette, La.) and William Long (Valrico, Fla.) each added one hit as well.
After last week’s rocky defensive play, the Cajuns endured a near-disastrous first inning that saw two errors by Louisiana. Errors by Tyler Benzel (Groveland, Fla.) and Farquhar proved to be irrelevant when the Bulldogs were unable to score.
Anderson retired the first nine Cajuns he faced until Bowman’s deep infield single to lead off the fourth. However, the Cajuns, which failed to advance Bowman past second, went down in order to end the inning.
In the seventh, Glass came on in relief after Farquhar walked the Bulldogs’ lead-off hitter. Back-to-back stolen bases put runners on second and third before Glass retired the final two batters to end the inning.
Louisiana went ahead in the bottom of the seventh, plating the game’s first run. With one out, Hawkins singled to left field and advanced to third on a two-base fielding error by Clint Stubbs. On the ensuing pitch, Guillory drilled a RBI single to right-center to give the Cajuns a 1-0 lead.
Glass’ one-run cushion vanished in the eighth. Kevin Winn reached on a lead-off single – the first of three Tech hits in the inning – and later moved to second on Albie Goulder’s one-out single. With a pair of runners on and one out, Chris Kersten blasted an opposite-field, three-run home run over the right field fence to give Tech a 3-1 lead. Kersten’s homer was the first allowed by Glass this season.
A bizarre turn of events unfolded in the bottom of the eighth that resulted in a 4-3 Cajuns lead. With two out, Long reached on a chopping infield single. Bowman then drew a two-out walk before Goulas appeared to be hit by a 2-2 pitch to load the bases.
However, upon conferring with the first base umpire, the home plate umpire ruled that Goulas didn’t make an adequate attempt to avoid the pitch. That could have negated the Cajuns’ momentum, but, on the very next pitch, Goulas crushed Richard’s 3-2 offering to left for a 4-3 lead.
Glass subdued the Bulldogs in the ninth inning to help the Cajuns snap a four-game losing streak.
Louisiana will attempt its second season series sweep in as many nights when the Ragin’ Cajuns host the McNeese State Cowboys for Season Ticket Redemption Night Wednesday at “The Tigue”. Wednesday’s game will be televised live on my KLAF-TV (Cox Channel 13) with Chris Mycoskie (PxP) and Dan McDonald (Color) at 6:35 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at RaginCajuns.com.
RaginCajuns.com
Chris Yandle
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