Cajuns Fall in the SBC Title Game Leaving Their NCAA Tournament Lives Up to the Committee
The Cajuns have had a gutsy tournament as they battled their way through the elimination bracket to face Coastal Carolina in the semis. They won back-to-back games over the number 7th ranked team in the nation to advance to the SBC tournament game. The Cajuns earned themselves a rematch with Southern Miss for the tournament title. The Golden Eagles took two of three from the Cajuns in the season’s final series. The Cajuns were rumored to be in the bubble of the NCAA tournament but in order to guarantee their spot, they needed to walk away as SBC champions. With the Stage set for Championship Sunday, let’s take a look at how it all went down.
On the mound for the Cajuns was Carson Fluno as he would go for 4 innings pitched. He recorded 5 strikeouts, 0 walks, 4 hits, and 2 runs given up.
For the Golden Eagles, it was Niko Mazza as he would go for 3 1/3 innings. He recorded 5 strikeouts, 2 walks, 3 hits, and runs given up.
It was a pitcher’s duel to begin the first 2 ½ innings as Mazza and Fluno were able to keep the hitters off-balance. It was Dickerson who would break the seal for Southern Miss as he would record a two-out solo shot to put USM up 1-0 after three. The Cajuns wasted no time to respond as Debarge and Higgs would get things going with a pair of hits and Hood would give the Cajuns the lead with a 2-RBI single. That would give the Cajuns a 2-1 lead going to the bottom of the fourth.
The Eagles didn’t take long to respond as Danny Lynch would come up big with a two-out solo shot to tie this game back up going into the fifth. Dickerson would deliver yet again in the 5th as he recorded an RBI single to put the Eagles back on top 3-2. The Eagles would then extend their lead in the 7th as Wilks would hit a 2-run shot for the Eagles’ third home run of the game. Southern Miss added another insurance run in the 8th to make it a 4-run lead going into the 9th. That was all the Eagles needed to win the game.
With the loss, the Golden Eagles have secured the spot in the NCAA tournament. For the Cajuns, the loss means their fate is in the hands of the committee. Some insiders had the Cajuns as one of the last four in the tournament to start the day, but big wins by Tulane and Charlotte could change that. The Cajuns will await the committee's decision tomorrow afternoon.