UL – The Ragin’ Cajuns put up their lowest run total since March 24 at Houston, but came away with a victory anyway thanks to a talented potpourri of pitchers, winning 4-1 over Southern University Wednesday night at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field.

Scott Hawkins blasted his 39th career home run in the second inning, tying Ron Robicheaux (1983-86) for the all-time career lead in the category. The home run is his seventh of the season, as he entered 2009 in sixth place with 32 home runs.

The Cajuns’ bats were not quiet, with 10 hits overall, but scored less than 10 runs for only the fourth time in the last 13 games. Hawkins led the way with two RBIs on his 2-for-3 night, scoring one run himself. Will Long was 2-for-4, joining Hawkins as the only other Cajun with multiple hits in the game and adding the only other RBI.

From the mound, Matt Lackie, Randall Bulliard and Luke Wagley all contributed to the win, Lackie taking home his first “W” while Bulliard qualified for a hold and Wagley picked up his second save.

In only his fourth appearance on the year, Lackie looked confident in four innings of work, allowing just one run, unearned, on three hits, three walks and three strikeouts. Bulliard entered for the fifth, and held Southern to just one hit in three innings, striking out two and walking no one. Wagley started the eighth and allowed two hits in two innings, also walking no one and earning two strikeouts.

Alex Fuselier went 1-for-2 before Matt Goulas replaced him in left field and batted 1-for-1 the rest of the way. Chad Keefer went 1-for-2, along with his replacement Thad Griffen and designated hitter Les Smith, who crossed the plate twice.

Kyle Olasin was 1-for-5 and extended the team’s longest hitting streak of the season to 14 games. Kyle Bostick and Travis Whipple saw hitting streaks of 10 and nine games, respectively, end on 0-for-4 outings, while Greg Fontenot’s string of seven games was severed when he went 0-for-1, though he did post two sacrifice hits which both contributed to a runner scoring.

Former Cajun Chase Richard started for Southern and took the loss despite a strong performance, giving up three earned runs, four overall on 10 hits, two walks and a strikeout as the Jaguars only pitcher of the game.

Southern scratched the board first with an unearned run on an RBI groundout in the second.

Scott Hawkins scored the Cajuns first run with his record-tying home run in the bottom half of the frame.

Two innings later in the fourth, Will Long drove in Les Smith from second with a double off the wall in right center.

Hawkins picked up RBI No. 2 with a single through the left side to score Kyle Olasin from third.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Cajuns added an insurance run when Will Long pushed a hit through the left side, and Les Smith came around to score from second when the left fielder had trouble picking up the ball.

The Ragin’ Cajuns next travel to ULM for a three-game, weekend Sun Belt series in Monroe, La. Jay Walker has the call for SportsRadio ESPN 1420 AM Friday night, and the broadcasts jump to NewsRadio 105.1 FM KPEL for Saturday and Sunday. Check out live statistics on RaginCajuns.com.

NOTES

  • The Cajuns posted double-digit hits without double-digit runs for the first time since a 7-5, March 1 win at Southern Miss.

  • Kyle Olasin extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a leadoff bunt single in the third inning.

  • Scott Hawkins is now tied for first place on the Cajuns’ all-time career home run charts at 39 bombs, sharing the title with Ron Robicheaux (1983-86). He is also now tied with Ken Myers (1989-92) for career runs scored at 143, and owns fifth place in career total bases with 371, behind Dallas Morris (2002-05) who had 381. Hawkins has 36 doubles and is five away from Kevin Cantrelle (1995-98) and Justin Merendino (2004-05) for fifth, and at 138 is 11 RBIs short of Oswaldo Aguirre (1994-97) for fifth place.

  • The Cajuns struck out just once as a team, tied for the lowest total on the year. They also had just one strikeout in a 16-6 win over UALR on March 22.

  • The Cajuns are now 17-1 when leading after seven innings, and 14-2 when leading after six.

  • This was the seventh straight come-from-behind win for Louisiana, and the seventh straight at “The Tigue,” dating back to a 13-5 win over UALR on March 21.


    Courtesy: RaginCajuns.com