UL - Zach Osborne once again dominated the Middle Tennessee lineup as the Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team wrapped up the sweep with a 14-7 win over the Blue Raiders at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field on Sunday. The Cajuns used a nine-run explosion in the fifth inning to mount their seventh come-from-behind victory of the season, their fifth in a row and fourth consecutive at “The Tigue.”

Offensive dominance has become commonplace for the Cajuns of late, as they move to 15-12-1 overall and 8-6 in the Sun Belt, moving up a spot to fifth in the conference after this weekend.

Osborne made his second three-plus inning relief appearance of the weekend after a perfect 3 1/3 inning appearance Friday night, where he picked up the win. This time, Osborne went 3 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit while striking out four. That wraps up a weekend of unbeatable relief for the Cajuns, in which Osborne, Luke Wagley, Blake Haagen and Justin Robichaux combined to throw 16 1/3 innings, allowing just six hits, two runs, both earned, on 13 strikeouts and just four walks.

Osborne earned the save for his efforts, his first of the year. Michael Cook started the game and earned no decision, allowing five runs, four earned, on three hits, three strikeouts and a walk in just 2 1/3 innings. Luke Wagley went three innings in relief, allowing two runs, both earned, on three hits and two walks, giving way to Osborne in the sixth.

As has been the case in recent memory, the Cajuns’ bats provided plenty of highlights, including the nine-run fifth inning. Greg Fontenot led the way with a 2-for-4, three RBI, three run day. Les Smith was right behind him, going 3-for-4 with two RBI, falling a home run short of the cycle as he hit a single, a double and a triple in the game.

Kyle Olasin extended his hitting streak to 12 games, the team’s best on the season, with a 2-for-6 day, driving in one and scoring twice. Travis Whipple hit his second home run in as many games, his fifth of the year, to total two RBI on 2-for-5 hitting with two runs scored. Chad Keefer drove in two with a home run of his own, his third of the season, finishing at 1-for-4 with two runs scored. Alex Fuselier added an RBI to round out the production for the Cajuns.

It has been one impressive stretch for Greg Fontenot, who is now 15-for-24 (.625) in the last seven games, with eight RBIs and a .667 slugging percentage and matching on-base percentage. He is also 3-for-3 in stolen bases in that stretch. Les Smith had a great weekend as well, as he went 7-for-10 with a 1.300 slugging percentage with three RBI against Middle Tennessee.

Middle Tennessee was the first team to get on the scoreboard, pushing home a run on Bryce Brentz’s RBI single to left field in the top of the first.

Alex Fuselier led off the bottom of the second with a triple, and was brought in by Greg Fontenot in the next at bat. Fontenot moved from first to third on two stolen bases before coming in on a Kyle Bostick single. With the two runs, the Cajuns went to the third inning defending a 2-1 lead.

The advantage disappeared when the Blue Raiders put runners on first and second in the third. Cook hit two batters in a row to load the bases and bring one in, and Nathan Hines drilled a double into the right field corner to score two more. Drew Robertson sealed it off with an RBI single to right field to put Middle Tennessee up 5-2.

In the fifth inning, the Raiders added another run when Hines singled home Brentz.

The Cajuns had big things in store for the bottom of the fifth, as they launched a nine-run assault on Middle Tennessee that put them ahead for good. It started with a leadoff single from Kyle Olasin, and ended 11 batters later when Les Smith lined out to right field to end the rally. Including Olasin, the first eight batters of the inning reached safely on Olasin’s single, a Travis Whipple double, a Les Smith triple (2 RBI), Scott Hawkins and Chad Keefer back-to-back walks followed by an Alex Fuselier hit-by-pitch (1 RBI), a Greg Fontenot single (2 RBI) and a Will Long walk. All but Long came around to score, representing the first seven runs of the inning. Bostick hit a sacrifice fly to score Fuselier, then Olasin doubled (1 RBI) and came home on Whipple’s two-run home run to right-center field.

The Raiders mustered one run in the top of the sixth on a solo home run from designated hitter Zach Dean, but that was the last run Middle Tennessee would score in the game. After giving up the home run and hitting the next batter, Wagley left for Zach Osborne, who controlled the game from then on.

The Cajuns added three more in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a two-run Chad Keefer home run and a run scored on an error. After that, both teams were quiet to finish the game.

The Ragin’ Cajuns have a busy week ahead of them, with a trip to New Orleans to play Tulane on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., followed by a Wednesday engagement with Southern University at 6:30 p.m. at “The Tigue.” SportsRadio ESPN 1420 AM has all the action over the air or online at ESPN1420.com. Live statistics will be available online at RaginCajuns.com both evenings, along with live video Wednesday night.

UL Press