TROY, Ala. – The Ragin’ Cajuns got through three innings with a 4-0 lead before the Middle Tennessee offense came to life, exploding for eight runs in the seventh inning to stun Louisiana 17-8 and force an elimination game on Saturday.

Down 4-0 after three innings thanks to a four-run Cajun second inning, the Blue Raiders put up two runs in the fourth, one in the fifth, four in the sixth, eight in the seventh and two in the eighth to drop the Cajuns to 27-29-1 on the season. Nothing seemed to go the way of UL, which committed three errors to allow four MT runs to score.

The eight-run seventh inning represents the most runs scored on UL since Southeastern Louisiana put up eight in the second inning of a 14-4 Cajuns loss on April 23, 2008 in Hammond, La.

The two teams will face each other again in an elimination game Saturday morning at 12:30 p.m., or 30 minutes after the conclusion of a 9 a.m. game between two-seed WKU and seven-seed ULM. Should unbeaten WKU defeat and eliminate ULM in the early contest, the championship game will begin 45 minutes following the game between MT and UL. Should ULM defeat WKU, the two teams will play once again, approximately 30 minutes after MT and UL finish, to decide who will advance to the championship game. The championship game would then be played on Sunday morning with a time to be determined by the Sun Belt Conference based on the pending weather, no earlier than 9 a.m.

Cajuns’ starter Michael Cook pitched 5 2/3 innings but did not earn a decision, as he left with a 7-7 tie on the board. He allowed those runs, all earned, on eight hits, three walks and two strikeouts. Prior to this start, Cook had not allowed a home run on the year, but gave up three to the Raider bats.

Middle Tennessee capitalized on a shaky Louisiana bullpen. Initial reliever Greg Harmon allowed three hits to score four runs, all earned, on one walk in 1/3 of an inning, and Blake Haagen spent even less time on the mound, allowing his only batter faced to drive in a run on a hit. Blake Wascom threw 2/3 innings and allowed one hit to score an unearned run on one walk. Corey Chapman pitched 2/3 of an inning, as three runs scored, only one earned, on three hits, one walk and no strikeouts. Dayton Marze finished off the game with 1 2/3 innings of one-run relief, though the run was unearned, on one hit, one walk and two strikeouts.

Harmon ended up taking the loss, falling to 0-3 on the season.

The Cajuns were led offensively by two RBIs apiece from Alex Fuselier, Scott Hawkins and Kyle Olasin. Fuselier was 2-for-5 on the day, Scott Hawkins was 1-for-2 with his 42nd career home run before leaving the game with a knee injury, and Kyle Olasin was 2-for-4.

Chad Keefer and Greg Fontenot each drove in a run, Keefer of 1-for-2 hitting with a run scored and a sacrifice hit, and Fontenot on 0-for-3 hitting with a sacrifice fly. Tyler Benzel had the most hits of any Cajun with three base knocks and two runs scored.

The Ragin’ Cajuns, the home team for the game, got their first runs in the bottom of the second inning. Kyle Bostick hit a one-out single through the left side and moved up to third on Tyler Benzel’s single to right in the next at bat. Kyle Olasin singled Bostick home with a looper into short right field, and Benzel moved to second on the play. Matt Goulas then moved everyone up a base with a groundout to third, putting two runners in scoring position for Alex Fuselier. He drove a liner just over the jumping right fielder Stuart Meinhart to score both runners and advanced to second himself.

Les Smith walked, and Chad Keefer then singled through the left side to bring Fuselier home, and Smith and Keefer ended up on third and second respectively. The onslaught sent Middle Tennessee starting pitcher Brett Wilson to the dugout after just 1 2/3 innings, after allowing six hits to score four runs. Reliever Michael Mears gave up a walk to Scott Hawkins, but got a Greg Fontenot groundout to complete the four-run inning.

Middle Tennessee posted their first runs in the top of the fourth, on a two-run Bryce Brentz home run to left field, Michael Cook’s first home run given up this year. Then, the Cajuns turned their record-breaking double play on a 1-4-6-3 groundball.

Blue Raider designated hitter Zach Dean launched a shot over the right field wall to make it a 4-3 game in the top of the fifth. Cook then walked catcher Tyler Acker, but Griffen gunned him down at second trying to steal, Griffen’s seventh caught runner of the season.

Chad Keefer walked as the leadoff man in the bottom of the fifth, and Scott Hawkins nailed a 1-0 pitch over the right-center wall to put the Cajuns back up by three at 6-3. Then, with Tyler Benzel on base following a single to centerfield, Kyle Olasin lined a shot off the center field wall for a run-scoring triple, pushing the lead to 7-3.

The Blue Raiders responded with another home run, this time from center fielder Nathan Hines, the third home run of the game off Cook. The next batters walked, singled and walked to load the bases with two outs. Pinch hitter Justin Guidry singled in a run, and then second baseman Taylor Dennis drove in two runs including the tying one on a single back up the middle. Cook left for Harmon, who got a groundball to second base to finally end the inning. Middle Tennessee evened the game at 7-7 with four runs, all earned off of Cook, on four hits, two walks and no errors.

Alex Fuselier led off the bottom of the sixth with a single just past the glove of Dennis at second, and Les Smith drew a four-pitch walk to put a second runner on. Chad Keefer put down the Cajuns’ 56th sacrifice bunt of the year, one away from tying the single-season record of 57, to move both runners up a base before Hawkins took a pitch off the left shoulder to load them up. Greg Fontenot lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to bring Fuselier across, and both Smith and Hawkins advanced on a throwing error by right fielder Stuart Meinhart trying to catch Fuselier.

Back-to-back doubles from Blue Raiders Rawley Bishop and Nathan Hines scored a run to tie the game up at 8-8 to start the top of the seventh. Harmon walked Bryce Brentz and Blake McDade made him pay with a two-RBI double all the way to the wall in left-center. Blake Haagen took over for Harmon with a runner on second and no one out, and surrendered a double to Meinhart which put runners at second and third. After facing one batter, Haagen left for Blake Wascom. He threw a wild pitch in his first at bat to allow Brentz to score, then walked the same batter.

Wascom was able to induce a groundball from catcher Tyler Acker for a double play, the Cajuns 65th of the season, though a run came home to make it 12-8. Taylor Dennis nailed a line drive to right-center field, and had he not missed a signal from the third base coach would have easily come home for an inside-the-park home run. Tyler Burnett hit a flat groundball to Scott Hawkins, but it went through his legs to allow another run to score. Rawley Bishop singled his way aboard and a Nathan Hines double scored both runners before Blake McDade finally grounded out to end the eight-run, seven-hit inning.

The Cajuns were quiet in the bottom of the inning, and Chapman allowed a one-out home run to replacement designated hitter Ben Darlington and left for Dayton Marze. Marze allowed a run on a hit-by-pitch, a single, a walk and a passed ball. That wrapped up the game’s scoring, as Marze retired the Raiders in order in the ninth, and the Cajuns’ bats remained quiet.

Saturday’s championship game, scheduled to start at 2 p.m., will be broadcast on television networks CSS and CST.


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