UL ? The Ragin? Cajuns baseball team is back to .500 at 21-21-1 following a win over McNeese State Tuesday night at M.L. ?Tigue? Moore Field, making it a two-game season sweep over the Cowboys with a 4-1 win. UL previously took a 10-2 decision over McNeese State on March 17 in Lake Charles, La.

The highlight of the night was sturdy pitching, as freshman Matt Lackie gave the Cajuns another solid midweek start. He pitched his longest outing of the season at 5 2/3 innings to acquire the win and move to 2-1 on the season, allowing five hits to score one run, earned, on four walks and a season-high seven strikeouts.

Blake Haagen followed up with 2 1/3 innings of steady relief, tagged for just one hit and no runs while earning three strikeouts and walking one. Luke Wagley pitched the last inning for his third save of the season, retiring all three batters he faced on just eight pitches.

The Ragin? Cajuns were held hitless through three innings by Lafayette native and Comeaux High School graduate Jordan LeGros. In the game, the Cajuns scored their four runs on just three hits, the second lowest hit total of the season. Only Travis Whipple, Les Smith and Alex Fuselier registered base hits, a single, double and triple respectively, and Whipple and Smith each picked up RBIs on their knocks. Thad Griffen nearly made it a team cycle with a smash just inside the left field foul pole in the second, but Cowboy outfielder Andy Riche? reached over the wall and brought it back to rob him of the home run.

One of the Cajuns runs was unearned, as Chad Keefer reached on an error and came around to score in the sixth.

McNeese State put the first run on the board in the top of the fifth, when Nick Eubanks scored from second on a Steven Irvine single.

The Cajuns scratched the board when Alex Fuselier tripled and came home on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fifth. Kyle Olasin and Greg Fontenot both reached next, coming home on a Travis Whipple sacrifice fly and a Les Smith double respectively. Louisiana left the fifth inning with a 3-1 lead.

In the sixth inning, Chad Keefer reached and got to second on an error, advanced to third on a Kyle Bostick sacrifice bunt and scored on a wild pitch. The run gave the Cajuns a 4-1 advantage going to the seventh.

Greg Fontenot made one of the best defensive plays of the season when he ranged far to his right on a ground ball between third and short, got to the ball, spun and made a long distance throw to first from the edge of the outfield grass to get the batter and keep a runner from scoring on the play in the eighth inning.

The Cajuns travel to Natchitoches, La., to take on Northwestern State University on Wednesday night in a 6:30 p.m. matchup. SportsRadio ESPN 1420 AM has the action over the air and online at ESPN1420.com, and RaginCajuns.com will have live statistics available.

UL SI