UL – The Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team dropped a 9-7 decision to Southeastern Louisiana Wednesday night at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field, moving to 1-3-1 overall on the season.

The Cajuns were looking for a home win before traveling to Hattiesburg, Miss., for a weekend series with Southern Miss, the first road games of the year. Louisiana totaled 13 hits against Southeastern Louisiana’s 12, but early pitching difficulties made the 9-5 deficit after five complete innings too much to overcome.

Corey Chapman made his second career start, first of the season, and received no decision. He went 1 2/3 innings, allowing five hits, four runs, all earned, with no walks and no strikeouts. Dayton Marze made his first appearance of the year when he relieved Chapman in the second inning. He drew the loss, throwing 1 1/3 innings while giving up four runs, all earned, on one hit, three walks, and no strikeouts.

Matt Lackie threw 1 2/3 innings, giving up four hits and one run, earned, on no walks and two strikeouts. Luke Wagley took over in the fifth and retired one batter, returning in the sixth but failing to get anyone out on one hit and one walk. He was relieved by Gregory Harmon, who finished the game, giving the Cajuns four expert innings. He allowed just one hit and no walks while recording three strikeouts, holding the Lions scoreless.

Scott Hawkins moved into a tie for fourth place on the Cajuns’ career home run chart with a two-run home run to left field in the second inning, his first of the season and 33rd of his career. Greg Fontenot hit his first career bomb in the eighth as part of the best offensive game of his career, finishing 2-4 with two runs scored. He has started the season hot, now up to .400 with six hits, two of them doubles and one home run, with a slugging percentage of .733.

Alex Fuselier has also been hitting the ball well, as he is batting .500 on four hits in eight at bats, with a triple and a single in two at bats to his credit today and one RBI on the season.

The Lions started the scoring off early, executing a perfect hit and run to get two runners on base before a double and a groundout brought those runners across the plate. Chapman got out of the half inning on three hits, two runs, no errors and no walks.

The Cajuns made up half the deficit in the bottom of the frame when Scott Hawkins hit a bloop single into the no-man’s land of short right field. It struck in fair territory and rolled foul, allowing Les Smith enough time to score from first and Hawkins to sneak into second with the RBI double, representing his third RBI of the season. UL proceeded to load the bases but could not convert any runs.

The Lions answered right back with loaded bases of their own in the top of the second. A sacrifice fly brought one in, and a single through the right side plated another off the bat of Brandon Street, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games, starting in May of 2008. Marze entered the game and forced a groundout to Bostick to end the half inning with the Cajuns trailing 4-1.

The Cajuns received a golden opportunity in the bottom of the second, with no one out and the bases loaded. A run came in, but it was on a double play ball from Kyle Bostick. Les Smith came up in the next at bat, though, and singled a run in with a hard hit grounder into left field. Scott Hawkins wrenched the lead away from the Lions with his two-run blast to left field. The shot put the Cajuns ahead 5-4 and relieved Chapman of the decision.

The top of the third featured a stunning defensive play from the combination of Kyle Bostick and Scott Hawkins to save a hit and retire the side without anyone reaching. Bostick displayed exceptional range on a grounder up the middle, and tossed it just in time to a stretching Hawkins.

In the top of the fourth, Southeastern Louisiana struck back in a big way. With the bases loaded, shortstop Ty Summerlin hit his 198th career base hit, tying him for third in the Lions record books. The deep double to the left field gap went to the wall, clearing the bases and bringing the score to 7-5 Lions. Lackie came in to relieve Marze with no outs and a runner on. He allowed one run to come in, still counting against Marze, but got all three outs to end the rally with the Lions ahead 8-5.

In the top of the fifth, the Cajuns suffered from poor circumstances. They allowed a run on an error and two bunts, both for base hits, the first when Hawkins, Marze and Bostick all converged on a bunt, leaving first base unattended, and the second when Marze slipped off the mound and was unable to recover in time. A groundout brought a run in, extending Southeastern’s lead to four runs at 9-5. Wagley entered and retired one batter on a foul pop to Griffen to end the side.

In the top of the sixth, the Cajuns loaded the bases with no outs for the third straight inning. But this time, UL miraculously found the way out of it. After Luke Wagley was replaced by Gregory Harmon, shortstop Greg Fontenot fired a fielder’s choice groundball home for the force out. The next batter, again with the bases loaded, popped a fly ball into no-man’s land in short right field. Bostick slid to try for the catch but the ball dropped out of his glove, forcing the runner on third to try to advance. Right fielder Les Smith gunned him down at home for a 4-9-2 fielder’s choice. With the bases still loaded, Harmon induced a grounder to Hawkins, who stepped on first to finish the half without any damage.

Both teams settled into pitching rhythms for the next two innings, with no scoring until the bottom of the eighth. Pinch hitter Alex Fuselier led off with a triple in that frame, followed by a sacrifice fly from the bat of Jon Masch, who entered as the pinch designated hitter in the fifth. After a groundout from Griffen, Fontenot slammed his first career home run over the left field fence to cut the deficit to two at 9-7.

That’s where things stood in the bottom of the ninth, but the Cajuns could not muster the two runs needed to continue the game.


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