The Book: 2004 Baseball

[NewsCopy]

Louisiana uses five pitchers in four-hit win

LOUISIANA La. — Don’t tell Louisiana’s pitching staff that Wednesday was a season opener.

The five arms the Ragin’ Cajuns ran to the mound against UL Monroe in the 2004 baseball opener were pretty much in mid-season form.

After spotting the visiting Indians a run three hitters into the game, the Cajun hurlers allowed only two base runners the rest of the way and got support from Kevin Preau’s timely triple in a 4-1 win at Moore Field.

At one point, the Cajun staff retired 17 straight batters, and the hosts finally got to ULM hurler Ryan Schwabe when Preau rifled a two-run triple to right field in the bottom of the seventh that provided a 3-1 edge.

From there, the Cajun bullpen continued a dominating performance, with Brandt Sanders, Jered Salazar, Thad Montgomery and Kraig Schambough each working one of the last four innings in support of starter Kevin Ardoin.

“They threw the ball well,” said Cajun coach Tony Robichaux. “During the week our hitters were getting after them pretty well, and I started seeing guys grow up and mature. We got some great innings from those guys ... they’re eating up some innings, and we’re going to need guys to eat up innings.”

Ardoin ate up innings and the Indians (1-2). The junior righthander gave up hits to ULM’s first three batters, and then retired 14 of the remaining 15 he faced while fanning eight.

The only break in that run was Glenn Jackson’s one-out double in the third inning, and the Indians didn’t get another baserunner until Jackson’s leadoff single in the ninth.

It took a while for the Cajuns to figure out Schwabe (1-1), who faced two over the minimum through four innings before Brad Saloom laced a one-out single, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Justin Merendino’s single to left that tied the game 1-1.

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com

[RedBug58]

I enjoyed the game (sat next to GURU.....)Great pitching, but the most memorable event was the foul ball by Brad Saloom. If that ball would have been between the foul poles, it would have been one of the longest home runs ever at the Tigue!

[CajunFanatic91]

If you ask me that lead off run was just alittle off-season rust. Could have easily been a shutout. I was listening on the internet to. So I couldn't give updates once NMST came on.

[Oldman]

for those of you who didn't see the game live and those of you who were there as well.......!remember and get ready for S P E E D, first game gave you a little teas, when coker ran that ball down in right center one guy looked up and me,(as if to say) of my god, they thought it was going to drop and on his steal of second, the catcher had to hurry his throw, and merendino to third...look, he was safe trust me. on that one run, if cockrell don't move to cover second inning over. after ardoin settled down, he was dominating, the other guys looked good. i'm pumped. don't forget about the first and third play, they tried the delay steal and we played it perfect.

[CAJUNJUDO]

I was there and it was a pretty good game after Ardoin settled down. I was pretty impressed with the speed! Looks like we're going to have a fun season!

[RaisingCajun08]

I just hope we can stay healthy this year.

[NewsCopy]

Cajuns travel to Texas State

With the challenge of an often-delayed season opener now behind them, Louisisna's Ragin’ Cajun baseball squad faces its first road test this weekend. And Cajun coach Tony Robichaux knows it will be a test when his club faces Texas State.

“That’s a good baseball team,” Robichaux said of the Bobcats (6-2). “They’re off to a good start against some good teams, and they gave us all we wanted at our place last year.”

This time, it’ll be a three-game series at Bobcat Field in San Marcos, Texas, where the Cajuns (1-0) will square off with the former Southwest Texas State. Today’s first pitch is at 3 p.m., with a 3 p.m. Saturday game and a 1 p.m. Sunday game also scheduled.

UL opened its season against the Bobcats last year, winning both ends of a Saturday twinbill before falling 4-3 in extra innings on Sunday. The visitors outhit the Cajun squad in each of those three games.

But if Wednesday’s season opener is a harbinger of things to come, the Cajun pitching staff might make hits hard to come by for opponents. Five UL hurlers combined to throw two-hit ball over the final eight innings in a 4-1 win over UL Monroe, which got three hits from its first three hitters and then had only one player reach base the rest of the evening.

Kevin Ardoin (1-0, 1.80), who is scheduled to start Sunday’s series finale, worked five innings against the Indians and allowed four hits and one run while striking out eight. Brandt Sanders, Jered Salazar, Thad Montgomery followed on the Cajun hill with one perfect inning each and Craig Schambough allowed one hit in the ninth before forcing a game-ending double play.

“We knew what Ardoin was going to normally do,” Robichaux said, “but last week we started seeing signs of guys growing up and maturing. We got some great innings, and we’re going to need that to give our hitters a chance. We’ve been indoors and hitting wiffle balls and tennis balls, but we started to loosen up a little after the first few innings.”

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com

[AirBill]

Originally posted by NewsCopy

Cajuns travel to Texas State

With the challenge of an often-delayed season opener now behind them, Louisisna's Ragin’ Cajun baseball squad faces its first road test this weekend. And Cajun coach Tony Robichaux knows it will be a test when his club faces Texas State.

“That’s a good baseball team,” Robichaux said of the Bobcats (6-2).

Texas State? Isn't that the team from the movie "Necessary Roughness"? In that case, shouldn't they be the Armadillos??

[Turbine]

I listened on the radio to the Cajuns 6-4 loss to the Bobcats.

Even though UL out hit TSU 12-9 they did a poor job of pushing runs across the plate.

I thought there was a point in the game where the Cajuns had the chance to blow things wide open, or at least make a bold move. It was a chance thwarted, I thought it came when Hawke failed to pay attention to his 3rd base coach and seemingly stopped at second before going on to third.

From the sounds of the broadcast it sounded to me like he might have scored. I know Hawke is not a speedster, but stopping and starting again is a speed killer.

I hope in the future the players utilize the coaches know how.

[NewsCopy]

Sloppy Cajuns fall to Texas St.

Louisiana’s baseball squad out-hit Texas State, but three errors and one shaky pitching inning combined to doom the Cajuns to a 6-4 setback in their road opener and in the first game of a three-game series Friday in San Marcos, Texas.

The host Bobcats (7-2) scored three runs on four hits in the fifth inning to take the lead for good after the Cajuns (1-1) had rallied to take a 3-2 lead with two runs in the top of that frame.

“We needed to do a better job in the middle innings,” said Louisiana coach Tony Robichaux, whose club had 12 hits to the Bobcats’ nine. “We did a good job of building some innings and giving ourselves some chances, but we have to do a lot of little things a lot better.”

The teams continue their series today at 3 p.m. at Bobcat Field, with senior righthander Kraig Schambough (0-0, 0.00) slated to pitch for the Cajuns against Brian Hurley (1-0, 4.63). The clubs play a final game Sunday at 1 p.m.

Texas State trailed 3-2 Friday before leadoff hitter Dominic Ramos reached on an error on Cajun shortstop Micah Cockrell in the fifth. Reliever Brandt Sanders (0-1) came on for UL Lafayette starter Jeff Morgan and promptly allowed four hits to the next five Bobcat hitters.

Evan Tierce singled and Richard Martinez doubled down the first-base line to score one, and RBI singles by Mark Cooper and Kyle Anson gave the hosts a 5-3 lead. UL reliever Thad Montgomery came on to get two outs to end the inning and checked Texas State on one hit the rest of the way.

That hit led to a run, though, when Jose Rodriguez led off the eighth with a single and scored on Cajun second baseman Brad Saloom’s second error in two innings.

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[shof]

Turbine,

Saw the play you were referring to. Was a passed ball that didn't get too far away from the plate. I think by the time Hawke realized where it was he was in "no man's land". It was an easy out at 3rd.

Biggest problem scoring was that we always seemed to get hits with two outs; then leave the runners stranded. That and a couple of un-timely (like there's a good time) errors.

Shof

[kfc_30]

That is not what turbine is talking about! You are talking about Rhett Buras getting caught between third and second. What he is talking about is when a ball was hit down to right field with Hawke on first and he stopped at second base because the ss decoyed him and he failed to read his third base coach. That is what he is talking about!