Cajuns Demolish Aggies 21-8 Behind Morris’ Career Night
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Senior third baseman Dallas Morris became the third player this season to record five hits in a game, going 5-for-6 with a pair of home runs and a team-high five RBI to lead the 19th-ranked Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns to a 21-8 victory over New Mexico State here Friday night at Presley Askew Field.
With the win, Louisiana (40-10, 12-4 Sun Belt) reached 40 wins, which tied the best start in school history after 50 games. Louisiana also broke the school record with 27 hits. The previous record of 26 hits was set against Louisiana Tech on May 3, 1997.
The 40th win also marked the first Cajuns team under head coach Tony Robichaux to reach 40 regular season wins.
New Mexico State (24-21, 9-7 Sun Belt) suffered its first home loss in Sun Belt Conference play (6-1) and just its fifth this season (18-5). The win also gave Louisiana its third win in seven tries in Las Cruces.
Louisiana starting pitcher Kevin Ardoin (10-1) allowed a season-high seven runs on 11 hits, while striking out four batters in 5 2/3 innings to earn his team- and Sun Belt-leading 10th win of the season. Freshmen Hunter Moody and Buddy Glass combined to allow one run on four hits with four strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings of relief.
New Mexico State’s Brian Gausman (2-4) received the loss, allowing eight runs – all in the fourth inning – on nine hits while striking out two batters with a walk.
Louisiana took a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. John Coker led off with a single to right field. Josh Landry then singled to center field, advancing Landry to second. Coker and Landry later advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch by NMSU starting pitcher Dustin Cameron. Coker later scored when Jonathan Lucroy grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.
New Mexico State quickly silenced the Cajuns on Mark Aranda’s two-run home run to right center field in the bottom of the first inning to take a 2-1 lead. Aranda, a two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week recipient, hit his nationally- and conference-leading 19th home run of the season. Aranda had 16 dingers last season.
In the second inning, Ardoin added to his senior season accolades with a pair of milestone strikeouts. His first strikeout in the inning gave him his 100th strikeout of the season, becoming the first Cajuns pitcher since 2002 to record at least 100 strikeouts in a single season. With his second strikeout of the inning, Ardoin passed Andy Gros for second place on the school’s all-time list with his 309th strikeout.
Louisiana added three runs in the second to retake a 4-2 lead. After Micah Cockrell’s lead-off walk, John McCarthy singled to right field, advancing Cockrell to third. Cockrell later scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at two apiece. Justin Morgan singled through the left side, which advanced McCarthy to third. McCarthy later scored on Coker’s RBI ground out to regain a 3-2 Cajuns lead. Landry’s RBI single up the middle scored Morgan to give the Cajuns a two-run advantage.
The Cajuns, however, wouldn’t be able to hold on to a lead for the second time, as the Aggies scored two runs in the third inning to tie the game 4-4. Derek Maytubby scored first on a Brandon Lance sacrifice fly. Emory Davies later scored the equalizer on Xardiel Cotto’s RBI double down the left field line.
Louisiana broke the game open with an eight-run fourth inning, sending 13 batters to the plate, to take a commanding 12-4 lead over the Aggies. McCarthy singled through the right side to lead off the inning. After a Justin Merendino strike out, McCarthy stole second and later advanced to third on Morgan’s single to right field. Coker’s walk loaded the bases for Landry whose two-RBI single up the middle plated McCarthy and Morgan to give the Cajuns a 6-4 lead.
Lucroy followed with a single up the middle to load the bases for the second time in the inning for the Cajuns. Morris and Hawke followed with a pair of RBI singles to increase the Cajuns lead to four runs, 8-4. Cockrell then cleared the bases with an opposite-field grand slam – his second of the season – to give the Cajuns a commanding eight-run lead.
Louisiana plated four runs in the fifth to increase its lead to 12 runs, 16-4. Lucroy drew a one-out walk, followed by Morris’ single to left field. Hawke then doubled down the right field line, scoring Lucroy for a 13-4 Cajuns lead. Cockrell then plated his fifth run of the game with a sacrifice fly to center field.
Merendino and Morgan followed with a pair of RBI singles to give the Cajuns the 12-run advantage.
Morris extended the Cajuns’ lead to 14 runs, 18-4, with an opposite-field two-run home run to right field in the sixth inning. It was Morris’ team-leading ninth home run of the season.
New Mexico State scored three runs in sixth to trim the Cajuns’ lead to 18-7.
In the eighth inning, Morris hit a monster of a home run – his second of the game – to give Louisiana a 21-7 cushion. That home run also gave Morris his fifth hit of the game, which tied the school record for hits in a single game.
Four Cajuns registered at least four hits. Morris went 5-for-6 with two home runs and five RBI. Landry added four RBI, going 4-for-6 with three runs scored. Cockrell also knocked in five RBI – four on his grand slam in the fourth inning. McCarthy and Morgan each added four hits for the Cajuns.
Luke Hopkins went 3-for-5 with three RBI, while Aranda went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run.
Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns will continue its three-game series Saturday against New Mexico State in a scheduled 7:05 p.m. (CST) first pitch. Louisiana’s Austin Faught (9-0, 2.28 ERA) will look for his 10th win of the season when he takes the hill against New Mexico State’s Jason Conner (7-3, 5.86 ERA).
LOUISIANA SI
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Cajuns thrash Aggies, 21-8
