Faught delivers big for Cajuns

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MIAMI - When they were rolling through the first three months of the collegiate baseball season, Austin Faught was a key part of the success of Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns.

Over the past two weeks, when things have not gone so swimmingly for the squad, Faught has become more than a key. He's been the rock, the stabilizing influence, the stopper.

Twice in the last six days, he's been called on to help lead the Cajuns to the Sun Belt Conference regular-season title and to help keep the UL squad alive in the league's postseason tournament.

Both times he's come through.

And his teammates recognize those efforts.

"It's a lot easier to hit when you've got somebody pitching like that," said designated hitter Jonathan Lucroy. "With him out there, we know we're going to have momentum on our side."

The Sun Belt's Pitcher of the Year battled his way through a 72-minute rain and lightning delay here Thursday, keeping New Mexico State's big bats under control during a 9-5 victory that put the Cajuns into the tournament's third day.

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

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MIAMI - It took one of the seniors, Dallas Morris, to come up with the reason that Louisiana's Ragin' Cajun baseball team still has life in the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championships.

"You have to be tougher than the situation," Morris said after the Cajuns took a 9-5 victory over New Mexico State here Thursday in an elimination game.

The situation was plenty tough for both teams, with a pair of rain delays that totaled nearly two hours and wreaked havoc with available pitching. But it was probably tougher for the top-seeded Cajuns, who were only hours removed from a disappointing 10-7 first-round loss to Western Kentucky late Wednesday night.

That's why coach Tony Robichaux probably gave an audible sigh of relief when his squad scored in each of the first four innings and held a 7-0 lead.

"We're not a very good team when we play from behind," Robichaux said. "I think we're 1-14 when we're behind after six innings, so that's not very good. It was important for us to get off to a good start."

The Cajuns (46-16) had the good start, and because of that they're into the third day of the double-elimination tournament at Florida International's University Park Stadium. And, now, it could be someone else that's in a tougher situation.

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com