The Book: 2004 Baseball

[Pirogue]

1836 WAS THE ANNOUNCED ATTENDANCE????
It looked like half that, I really expected a bigger crowd at the game than what I saw.

Ardoin is phenomenal, but his stuff drops off after 90 or so pitches... IMHO

[snote]

you still in town?

[Pirogue]

Naw, I drove home right after the game... was in Lafayette for business, took the opp. to take my son to a game... got home at 1 a.m. veryt very tired

[NewsCopy]

GAME 1 Saturday

Hawke-led Cajuns blast Harvard

LOUISIANA La. — They’re charged with setting the stage for Louisiana’s baseball team, and the top of the Ragin’ Cajun lineup more than did its job here Saturday afternoon.

The top three in the Cajun batting order was perfect in its ultimate jobs — getting on base and scoring runs — through the first three innings, and that was more than enough for the Cajuns to roll to a 14-5 win over Harvard at Moore Field.

“It’s infectious,” said second baseman Justin Merendino, after had had four hits in the first five innings. “The leadoff guy is supposed to set the tempo, and if I hit the ball hard everybody else starts believing they can, too.”

Merendino, Josh Landry and Dallas Morris reached base three times in the first three innings and all came around to score each time as the Cajuns (13-6) bolted in front 10-2 and coasted home with their fourth straight win and sixth in the last seven games heading into a 1:30 p.m. contest against the Crimson today.

Of course, it helps to have a hot bat like Phillip Hawke behind that crew. The Cajun cleanup hitter was a power force for the second straight day with a two-run first-inning double and a game-breaking grand slam in the third.

“We’ve got it going now,” said Hawke of a Cajun offense that has produced 52 runs and 58 hits in the four-game win streak. Hawke has three homers and 10 RBIs in his last two games after a two-homer night Friday in the 16-5 win over Michigan.

That early outburst made things easy for Cajun starter Josh Kohrs (3-0), who scattered eight hits and fanned six while allowing two earned runs in seven innings.

“Josh did a good job of wiggle pitching,” said Cajun coach Tony Robichaux. “He didn’t have his best stuff, but he worked his way out of trouble. Fortunately, we got enough good things from our offense that let him challenge guys.”

Harvard coach Joe Walsh was disappointed in his team’s not responding to that challenge.

“We didn’t play well,” Walsh said. “No excuses. They (UL) were a lot more aggressive, and I didn’t like the way our pitchers went at it. They tried to nibble at it too much ... we didn’t play fearless.”

The rest of the story

Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com

[NewsCopy]

GAME 2 Sunday

Ragin’ Cajuns bury Harvard with offensive display


LOUISIANA La. — The offensive explosion continues.

A Louisiana baseball squad that had thrived on pitching and defense early in the season had 54 hits and scored 53 runs in three weekend games against Michigan and Harvard. Ten times in those games, the Ragin’ Cajuns scored three or more runs in an inning.

The final 23 runs and 22 hits came Sunday when the Cajuns rolled to a 23-9 win over the Crimson, a win that included nine extra-base hits, every starter getting at least one hit and seven different players collecting multiple hits.

“We’re cutting our strikeouts down and staying off bad pitches,” said Cajun head coach Tony Robichaux of his team’s recent offensive firepower. “Mostly, our hitters are all protecting each other.

“Anytime you can keep holes out of your lineup and have nine guys hitting, it’s going to wear out some pitchers.”

The firepower came at the expense of seven Harvard pitchers Sunday, with starter Mike Morgalis (0-2) allowing eight earned runs in the first three innings.

Morgalis’ teammates almost bailed him out.

After the Cajuns (14-6) scored five first-inning runs, the Crimson (4-4) battled back with a five-run fourth inning that tied the game 6-6. Frank Herrmann and Bryan Hale each had two-run homers in that uprising.

The rest of the story

Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com

[Oldman]

if you didn't make any of the baseball games this past weekend it was fun, now understand me well here okay! i realize mich and hardvard are not top notched! but, the guys looks like they have/are picking up coach hitting, and seeing live arms helps. this week will be a good test (TUESDAY NITE)lamar comes to town, they have a pretty good club, then conference starts this weekend Western Kent is in town, and it would be hugh to start off conference to get 2 or 3, we need all cajun fans out this week for some good baseball, and the luncheon is tuesday 11:30, conference room.....get all the latest info. from the coaches. it's great baseball is in the air. GEAUX CAJUNS.

[Cajun Express]

I think the hitting is not going to be a problem. Still too many errors and we need two solid starters. Right now we have one who is good for about 7 innings and sometimes up to 9. The rest will be by committee.

[CDeb]

Originally posted by pirogue
1836 WAS THE ANNOUNCED ATTENDANCE????
It looked like half that, I really expected a bigger crowd at the game than what I saw.

Ardoin is phenomenal, but his stuff drops off after 90 or so pitches... IMHO

They announce paid attendance. And since the chairbacks are sold out with season tickets, the announced crowds are never going to be very low.

[NewsCopy]

LOUISIANA La. - Ragin' Cajun first baseman Phillip Hawke was named Collegiate Baseball’s “Louisville Slugger” National Player of the Week and Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week.

Hawke hit .545 while belting four homeruns over three weekend games against the Michigan Wolverines and the Crimson of Harvard University. The UL Junior hit two longballs in the Cajuns’ Friday night win over Michigan, a grand slam in Saturday afternoon’s win over Harvard and a three-run shot Sunday that helped lift the Cajuns over the Crimson.

The Baton Rouge native finished the three-game set with 15 RBIs. Fifteen total bases and a 1.727 slugging percentage also highlight Hawke’s performance.

Hawke recieved the night off in the Cajuns' first game of the week, a 13-0 victory over Texas Southern on Tuesday.

Cajuns pitcher Kevin Ardoin was awarded Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week and College Baseball Insider National Player of the Week earlier this season.

Louisiana Sports Writers Association Player of the Week will be announced on Tuesday.

LOUISIANA SI

[NewsCopy]

Lamar provides tough final SBC tuneup

LOUISIANA La.— The Ragin' Cajun baseball squad has one final chance to fine-tune itself and keep a red-hot streak alive entering Sun Belt Conference play

That opportunity comes tonight when University of Louisiana (14-6) entertain long-time rival and nationally-ranked Lamar University (17-6) in a 6:30 p.m. contest at Moore Field.

The Cajuns play their first Sun Belt series beginning Friday against Western Kentucky, also at Moore Field, and would like nothing better than to continue its level of play from the past two weeks.

In that time, UL has won seven of eight, and produced 53 runs over the weekend in sweeping three runaway games from Michigan (16-5) and Harvard (14-5, 23-9). The Cajuns have also won 13 of their 14 home appearances this year.

But head coach Tony Robichaux knows that can change at a moment’s notice, and that the Cardinals and the Hilltoppers will provide more intense tests for his squad.

“We can’t afford to fool ourselves,” Robichaux said after Sunday’s victory produced the highest run total since a 26-run tally against Prairie View A&M in 1996. “We’re going to have some much bigger challenges in these games, and we can’t make the mistakes that we made this weekend or they’ll cost us.”

The rest of the story

Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com