The Book: 2004 Baseball

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Junior duo lifts Cajuns to first place in Sun Belt Conference

LOUISIANA Là - Junior pitcher Kevin Ardoin and third baseman Dallas Morris were named the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher and Hitter of the Week, respectively, as announced Monday by the conference office.

It is third and fourth weekly award that Louisiana has received this season.

It was the first time this season that a school swept the pitcher and hitter awards in the same week.

It was also the first time since April 1, 2002, that the Cajuns had swept Sun Belt weekly honors. That week, Justin Gabriel and Bryan Sneed were tabbed Sun Belt Conference Pitcher and Hitter of the Week, respectively.

Ardoin (4-1) took the mound for the Cajuns Friday night and delivered a complete-game 11-1 victory over New Mexico State. Ardoin allowed one run, while scattering seven hits and striking out five Aggies. The Eunice, LA, native leads the team in strikeouts (57), earned run average (1.82), and innings pitched (64.1).

Morris continued his stellar season over the weekend, helping lead the Cajuns (22-9, 7-2) to a three-game sweep of New Mexico State and first place in the Sun Belt Conference. The Destin, Fla., native went 10-for-17 with three home runs and six RBIs for the week. Against New Mexico State, he went 6-for-12 with two home runs and four RBIs.

Morris now leads the team in batting average (.389), home runs (10), and RBIs (39).

On Wednesday night, Morris went 4-for-5, including a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth which cut the Northwestern State lead to 4-3. The Cajuns later tied the game, sending it into extra innings and ultimately winning 5-4 in the 11th inning.

On Friday, Morris had a relatively quiet night, going 1-for-5 with a run. However, Morris saved the best for Saturday’s twinbill.

In game one, he went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to give the Cajuns an early lead. UL Lafayette never relinquished the lead in that game and Morris later added a triple, securing a 13-4 Cajuns victory.

In the night cap, Morris went 3-for-4 with his second home run of the day, also adding a single and double to his credit. UL Lafayette earned the sweep after posting a decisive 9-5 victory Saturday night.

During the doubleheader, Morris hit for the cycle in four consecutive at-bats.

LOUISIANA SI

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LAKE CHARLES – On a night when one Ragin’ Cajun pitcher threw six perfect innings and two Louisiana hurlers combined to strike out 16 hitters, it came down to one bloop single in the 11th inning to snap a four-game winning streak.

McNeese shortstop Shawn Yarbrough punched a two-out base hit off Cajun reliever Patrick Green in that frame, plating Ross Blankenship with the winning run as the Cowboys took a 4-3 victory in the first of their two annual rivalry contests here Tuesday.

The Cajuns (22-10) held a 2-0 lead in the seventh inning behind six perfect innings from sophomore starter Brandt Sanders, but the Cowboys erupted for three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a 3-2 lead.

It looked like that would be enough, but Cajun catcher Ryan Core led off the ninth inning with a solo home run off McNeese closer Rhett Gulledge to force extra innings.

Green stranded runners in scoring position in every inning, but finally ran out of luck in the 11th when Seth Lastrapes drew a leadoff walk. Owen Clanton moved pinch runner Blankenship with a sacrifice, and Green (1-1) fanned Jeramie Broussard for a second out before Yarbrough looped his game-winner just inside the left-field line.

“We finally got a two-out hit,” said McNeese coach Chad Clement. “We hadn’t had one of those all weekend against Lamar.”

The outcome was a bittersweet one for Cajun coach Tony Robichaux -- the winningest career coach at both schools – who was looking for solid pitching performances while fielding a makeshift lineup.

“Both of them did a great job,” Robichaux said. “We wanted to put Sanders in a road situation and give him a start, and he threw a great game. Pat was able to come in and get some work in, and we needed him to get some innings.”

The rest of the story

Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com

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Cajuns, Trojans match solid mound staffs in Sun Belt series.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas-Little Rock’s offensive numbers aren’t going to scare anybody.

Unlike last weekend, when Louisiana’s baseball squad faced a murderer’s row of New Mexico State hitters, the Cajuns will be the team with the more impressive hitting figures when the two teams open a Sun Belt Conference series today.

UALR’s Trojans will step into the batter’s box at newly-renovated Gary Hogan Field for today’s 6 p.m. series opener with a .246 team batting average — far and away the lowest in the Sun Belt.

But Ragin’ Cajun coach Tony Robichaux isn’t fooled by those numbers.

“They have always pitched well and played good defense,” he said of the Trojan squad, “and we’re going to have to match their pitching and continue to defend. Where we have to separate ourselves is at home plate, which we didn’t do Tuesday.”

The Cajuns (22-10, 7-2 Sun Belt) go into the weekend series, which includes 1 p.m. games Saturday and Sunday, atop the conference standings and having won 13 of their last 17 games.

But they also had a four-game win streak snapped on Tuesday in a 4-3 decision at McNeese, and Robichaux saw a lot of parallels between the light-hitting Cowboys and his team’s weekend opponent.

“We kept a low-scoring team in the game,” he said. “The way you beat teams that don’t score a lot of runs is by getting out early on them. That forces them to try to catch up and takes the short game out of play.

“A low-scoring team is going to be at its best when they can bunt and move runners. If you can get up four or five runs, it takes the bunt away and your pitchers’ sliders and changes are more effective.”

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com

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UL   Hogan Field   UALR 10   "The Cajuns and Trojans battled back and forth Friday night combining for 33 hits and 24 runs, Kraig Schambough took the loss for Louisiana"   14

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9         R H E Ragin' Cajuns 1 0 0 2 3 3 1 0 0         10 16 2 Trojans 5 0 1 0 3 2 0 3 x         14 17 2

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UL   Hogan Field   UALR 6   Patrick Green picked up his first save of the year. Ian Pecoraro gets the decision for Louisiana   5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9         R H E Ragin' Cajuns 1 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0         6 14 1 Trojans 1 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0         5 8 0

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CAJUNS PLAY NAILBITER TO EVEN THE SERIES WITH UALR

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.-The Cajuns and Trojans played a tight contest all the way through Saturday afternoon at Hogan Field. Phillip Hawke’s RBI single in the top of the seventh was the difference as the Cajuns improve to 23-11 overall and 8-3 in Conference play.

Cajuns starter Ian Pecoraro gets the decision for Louisiana-Lafayette. Pecoraro (3-1) gave up three runs on four hits through five innings while showing four Trojans a seat with the strikeout.. Patrick Green picked up his first save of the year getting the last two outs in the one-run game.

The Cajuns got the first run of the game when Justin Merendino singled down the third base line and scored on Justin Bourque’s stand-up double to the wall in left-center to start the game for Louisiana-Lafayette.

Brandt Sanders pitched well in middle relief for the Cajuns going one batter over three innings giving up two runs while fanning six

Brad Cherry took the loss as the Trojans starting pitcher. The senior righty threw five and two-thirds inningssurrendering five runs on nine hits.

Jimmy Scott tied the game at one with a solo homerun in the bottom of the first.

Cherry retired the Cajuns’ side in order in the top of inning three.

UALR took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of inning three after Rhett Hubbard and Scott walked to lead off the bottom of the third. Hubbard scored on Matt Spatafora’s seeing-eye single up the middle. The baserunners advanced 90 feet on a groundout back to the hill. Chris Becker plated the runner on third with a sacrifice fly to left.

Hawke lined a single up the middle to start the fourth. Ryan Core followed suit sneaking a single through the left side. A double play advanced Hawke to third where he would be stranded as Cherry struck out the last batter in the inning.

The Trojans threatened in the bottom of the fourth when Josh Ward hit a bloop double to center before Adam Coleman walked all with one gone in the inning. Pecoraro would work his way out of trouble with no damage done in the frame getting a strikeout and a fielder’s choice up the middle to end the inning.

Cherry issued a walk to Bourque to start the sixth frame before Dallas Morris tied the game at three with one swing of the bat. Morris’s team-leading 12th homerun of the season left the yard over the wall in right-center and touched the brand new scoreboard at Hogan Field.

Hawke singled to keep the inning going for UL Lafayette. Core drew a walk to put runners on first and second. Cockrell moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt. Coker got the runners home with a two-out stand-up double laced down the foul line in left.

Coker’s double chased Cherry in favor of Cody Fry. Fry walked Merendino, but got the last out in the stanza with no further runs scoring for Louisiana-Lafayette.

Joe Petrino singled to open the bottom of the sixth before Brandt Sanders came on in relief of Pecoraro. Sanders plunked Coleman, but got a strikeout and a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

Drew Antonini entered the game to work in the top of the seventh. Morris touched an Antonini offering and drove it the opposite way for a double off the wall in right-center. Hawke drove in Morris with a single down the first base line, giving the Cajuns a 6-3 lead.

The Trojans got two runs back in the bottom of the seventh after Spatafora doubled to lead off the inning. McKellar singled in the run with a lined shot to the right side. Becker followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Aaron Haefele bunted the runner at third home with a squeeze to first, pulling UALR to within one at 6-5.

Jason Rodriguez hit a double to open the eighth. Coker laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Rodriguez to third, but the Cajuns could not manage to get the insurance run as Antonini got a ground out and a pop fly out tio the infield to end the frame.

Coleman walked to reach base in the bottom of the eighth. Coleman took two bases on an errant pickoff play. The last out in the inning came as Coleman was caught stealing after a pitch behind the batter reached the screen. Core threw to Sanders who was covering the plate for the out.

Morris and Hawke hit a pair of singles to start the ninth. Morris advanced to third on a fly out to center, but the runners would be stranded as reliever Travis Trammell used his best strikeout pitch to get the last out of the inning at the plate.

The Cajuns put the tying run on in the ninth when Spatafora was hit by a pitch. Becker singled to the right side to put runners on first and second.

Coach Robichaux brought in Green to face Heafele. Green got the final two outs to preserve the win for Louisiana.

LOUISIANA SI

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Cajuns rebound Baseball team evens road series with UALR Trojans.

LITTLE ROCK — Louisiana belted out 14 hits here Saturday and held off the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans 6-5 in Sun Belt baseball action.

Coach Tony Robicheaux’s Cajuns improved to 23-11 overall and 8-3 in Sun Belt play, while UALR dropped to 11-16, 3-6 heading into today’s 1 p.m. weekend finale.

Dallas Morris doubled in the Cajun seventh and came home to score what proved to be the winning run on Phillip Hawke’s fourth hit of the game, putting the Cajuns ahead 6-3.

In the bottom of the seventh, UALR’s Matt Spatafora doubled down the right field line and was plated by a Chad McKellar single. McKellar reached third on a single by Chris Becker and scored on an Aaron Haefale sacrifice bunt.

With the score 6-5 in the eighth, the Trojans’ Adam Coleman tried to score from third on a wild pitch by Brandt Sanders, but was thrown by on catcher Ryan Core’s hustling relay to Sanders at the plate.

A two-run home run by Morris (3-for-5) had highlighted a four-run UL explosion in the sixth inning.

In addition to Hawke (4-for-5) and Morris, center fielder John Coker went 2-for-3 for UL.

Ian Pecoraro got the victory for the Cajuns, improving to 3-1, while UALR starter Brad Cherry (1-5) was tagged with the defeat.

When the Cajuns complete the weekend, they will step out of Sun Belt play at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday against Tulane at Zephyr Field.

The source of the story

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UL   Hogan Field   UALR 8   Louisiana wins 2 of 3 on the weekend. Jered Salazar picked up the win and is now 2-0 in game 3 starts   4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9         R H E Ragin' Cajuns 0 0 1 0 3 0 4 0 0         8 11 0 Trojans 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0         4 8 1

ARKANSAS LITTLE ROCK - A three-run fifth frame, highlighted by Jason Rodriguez’s second homerun of the series, coupled with Jered Salazar’s masterful control of the strikezone paved the way for the Cajuns’ second win of the weekend as they take the series from the Trojans of UALR by an 8-4 final. The Cajuns move to 24-11 on the season overall and 8-3 in Sun Belt Conference play with the victory.

The Cajuns pulled ahead in the fifth when John Coker reached on a two-base error to start the inning. Justin Merendino reached first and advanced Coker to third on a sacrifice bunt. Rodriguez’s homer drove in three, giving the Cajuns a 4-1 lead. Rodriguez’s longball exited the playing area over the wall in straightaway center, the deepest spot in the park.

Jered Salazar picked up his second win in as many Game three starts for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Salazar (3-2) pitched seven and two-thirds innings surrendering three runs on six hits while fanning six Trojans.

Bennett Cromer (3-5) lost the game for UALR being touched up for four runs on five hits through the first five innings five innings

Cromer worked a full count to the first two batters of the game and got the strikeout on both before Justin Bourque drew a walk. Cromer got Dallas Morris to groundout to third to retire the Cajuns in the top of the first.

Rhett Hubbard hit a lead off triple to start the bottom of the first for Arkansas-Little Rock. Matt Spatafora picked up the RBI on a groundout to second.

Cromer and Salazar sat the opposing sides in order in the second inning.

In the top of the third, Micah Cockrell tied the ballgame at one with a solo homerun that left the yard over the wall in left. Cockrell’s fourth bomb of the season was his second of the weekend.

Chris Becker lined a one-out single up the middle before advancing to second on an Aaron Haefele single through the right side. With the two Trojans on, Salazar induced the four-six-three double play off the bat of catcher Joe Petrino to end the inning.

Salazar sat the Trojans 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fifth.

Coker doubled down the line in left to open the sixth prompting Trojans Head Coach Brian Rhees to make a call to the bullpen and bring in right-handed freshman Scott Yant.

Justin Merendino pushed a sacrifice bunt down the first base line to advance Coker to third, but the new pitcher for UALR would get out of the jam without allowing the run to score.

The Cajuns got a lead off single from Morris in the seventh. Core made it a 6-1 game with a homerun to the power ally in left-center.

Cockrell singled to left and stole second with two away in the same stanza before Coker picked up his seventh hit of the weekend series with an RBI single. Merendino doubled in Coker with a drive that touched the wall in left center.

Dustin Turner came on in relief of Yant who got the final out of the inning. The Trojans added three runs on four hits and a wild pitch in the bottom of the eight. Kevin Ardoin came on to work in the inning with two gone. Ardoin gave up a pair of singles and threw a wild pitch that scored a run before settling in strikeout Haefele swinging.

Ardoin sat the Trojans in order in the bottom of the ninth as the Cajuns take two of three in the series.


The Cajuns will travel back to Lafayette this evening and prepare for a mid-week showdown with Tulane at Zephyr Field in New Orleans. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

LOUISIANA SI

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Salazar, homers give Cajuns a lift

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A strong seven and two-thirds innings from pitcher Jered Salazar and a three-home-run offensive attack were more than enough for UL Lafayette’s baseball squad to claim its fourth straight Sun Belt Conference series win here Sunday.

The Ragin’ Cajuns came back from an early 1-0 deficit to take an 8-4 victory over Arkansas-Little Rock in their series finale at Gary Hogan Field, giving the visitors a second straight win after a 14-10 Friday loss to the Trojans.

The Cajuns (24-11, 9-3 Sun Belt) remained in first place in the Sun Belt standings and hold a one and one-half game lead over Florida International, South Alabama and New Orleans, all of whom are 6-3 in league play.

Salazar (3-2) allowed only a first-inning run through seven innings, scattering six hits and fanning six while walking none. He allowed two hits and two runs in the eighth and reliever Kevin Ardoin gave up a third run before retiring the final four Trojan hitters.

“We felt like he (Salazar) matched up well with them,” said Cajun coach Tony Robichaux. “They struggle against the overhand breaker, and he came out as a strike thrower and gave us a chance to settle in and beat their pitching.”

Bennett Cromer (3-5) allowed only two hits in the first four innings for the Trojans (11-18, 2-7), but one of those hits was Micah Cockrell’s leadoff homer in the third inning.

Then, in the fifth, John Coker reached base on an outfield error and Justin Merendino beat out a sacrifice bunt, and Jason Rodriguez followed with a dead-center home run that made it a 4-1 contest.

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[Turbine]

Originally posted by cajunreality
Hey "newscopy".......what does Louisiana La. stand for? I take it you mean Louisiana Lafayette!

I can answer that.

LOUISIANA Là stands for "Louisiana there"

[realitycajun]

OK, I can speak "fluid" French (or cajun French as the Parisians put it),........but I don't get the "La." Just curious!

[waterboy]

Anyone making the trip to the Shrine on Airline tomorrow? Will they be selling beer? I'm there regardless.