Cajuns Rally To Defeat Mavericks In Series Opener 9-5

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ARLINGTON, Texas – The top-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns baseball team scored seven runs in the final three innings to come from behind and defeat UT Arlington on the road 9-5 in the series opener at Clay Gould Ballpark.

The win improves the Cajuns to 35-4 overall and 15-1 in Sun Belt Conference play. The team extended its road win streak to 15 games and has now won nine in a row in league contests.

For the seventh consecutive game, Louisiana outhit its opponent posting 13 hits on the night led by Caleb Adams and Seth Harrison who each had three hits in the game. Adams was 3-for-4 with two home runs, a walk, three RBI and score three times, while Harrison was 3-for-5 with a triple, three RBI and scored once.

"Matt Plitt did a great job of coming in and putting out the fire," head coach Tony Robichaux said.
"You have to give a lot of credit to our pitching staff for holding the game where it was, and our hitters came alive late and bust the game open for us. We didn't get frustrated when things weren't falling, and that was key as we grinded out another win."

Starter Carson Baranick was lifted from the game in the fifth inning after giving up four runs on eight hits in 4.1 innings of work.

Matt Plitt was exceptional throwing 2.1 scoreless innings in relief to keep the Cajuns in the contest. Plitt had two strikeouts with two walks and came into a bases loaded jam and did not allow any of the inherited runners to score.

Freshman Reagan Bazar picked up the win for the Ragin' Cajuns to move to 3-0 as he got the only batter he faced out to end a bases-loaded jam in the seventh.

Chase Weaver was tabbed with the loss for the Mavericks (16-22, 8-8 Sun Belt) after giving up three runs on two hits with a walk.

UTA jumped out in front 1-0 in the bottom of the first on a RBI triple by Matt Shortall.

Following two scoreless innings, Adams got the Cajuns on the board in the top of the fourth launching a two-run blast over the fence in right center to make the score 2-1 Louisiana.

The lead was short lived as the Mavericks tallied three runs in the bottom half of the fifth to go back in front 4-2. Derek Miller brought home two runs on the fourth hit of the inning for UTA as he singled to center. Later in the inning, Shortall drove in his second run of the game singling in Travis Sibley.

The Ragin' Cajuns evened the contest at 4-all in the top of the seventh when Harrison tripled off of the top of the wall in left to score two runs.

Michael Strentz sparked a four-run inning for Louisiana in the top of the eighth as he sent a bases-loaded two-run double down the right field line to give the Cajuns the lead, 6-4. In the next at bat, Blake Trahan sent a single up the middle to add another run. Harrison capped the scoring in the inning with a RBI single to center.

Adams lifted his second homer of the night well over the right field fence in the top of the ninth for a solo home run to extend the lead to 9-4. The home run was the ninth of the season for Adams and gives him the team lead.

The Mavs added one run in the bottom half of the ninth on a RBI ground out by Greg McCall to make the final 9-5.

The Cajuns return to action tomorrow at 2 p.m. as they go for their 11th straight series win. Senior left-hander Ryan Wilson will make the start. Wilson is 5-0 with a 1.38 ERA in 32.2 innings.

Box Score and more

UL-SI

[CajunEXPRESS]

Did not like the feel of this game early. Cajun batters not getting good at bats either striking out or quick hits directly to the opposition. The UTA pitcher was not having to work very hard. Our ace starter just had a couple of lapses but generally did dominate them. Those lapses were big.

Speaking of Big, Bazar is big, his one pitch was big, and his win was big. The Cajuns have now won five of their last six. Louisiana in the eyes of the pollsters, IMO, needs to go on a twelve to fifteen win run for every loss we incur to retain that sweet high rank.