Louisiana Faces Elimination After Ninth-Inning Loss

(MONTGOMERY, Al) - Louisiana baseball had a 3-0 lead with three outs to go Thursday night in Montgomery and still found a way to lose. That is the brutal reality of tournament baseball, and the Ragin' Cajuns are now in must-win territory at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at Dalbo Park.

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Texas State scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth to stun Louisiana, 4-3, forcing the Cajuns into an elimination game Saturday against No. 2 seed and nationally ranked Coastal Carolina.

Ty Roman's Solid Start for the Cajuns

Left-hander Ty Roman was outstanding. He held Texas State hitless through the first six innings, struck out eight, and carried a shutout into the seventh before turning it over to the bullpen with a 2-0 lead. Roman pitched a season-high 6.1 innings and gave his team every chance to win. The bullpen could not finish it.

How the Cajuns Scored

Louisiana scored its first run in the third when Owen Galt walked, stole second, and scored on a Maddox Mandino sacrifice bunt. Lee Amedee pushed the lead to 2-0 with a solo home run to deep left in the eighth. Blaze Rodriguez added a run in the ninth with a groundout that scored Donovan LaSalle, who had reached on an error and advanced on a Galt single, making it 3-0.

The Ninth Inning

Three Cajun relievers could not hold it. Hayden Pearson allowed a leadoff single and a double to put two runners in scoring position. Sawyer Pruitt worked around a walk but gave up a bases-loaded walk and an infield single that cut the lead to 3-2. Rashawn Galloway then ended it with a two-run single through the left side.

What's Next

The Cajuns (36-22) face Coastal Carolina (37-20) in an elimination game Saturday at 3 p.m. The Chanticleers are the No. 2 seed and ranked No. 24 nationally, so this is not going to be easy. Lose and the season is over. Win and the Cajuns keep playing. The game will stream on ESPN+ and you can listen locally on KPEL 96.5 or worldwide on the Varsity Network app.