Cajuns Hurt by the Long Ball in Tough Loss to Louisiana Tech

The last mid-week game of the season started 2 hours later than we originally thought due to some nasty weather. The Cajuns were coming off of a very crucial series sweep against in-state rival ULM. The Cajuns came into the game just one game behind Texas State for third place in the Sun Belt with a 32-17 record and a 14-10 conference record. Louisiana Tech is 24-25 overall with a 13-11 conference record. With Cajuns looking to rise in the RPI rankings and build momentum going into the SBC tournament, the stage was set. Let’s take a look at how the game went down.

David Christie would get the start on the mound for the Cajuns as he went for 2 innings. Christie recorded, 0 strikeouts, 0 walks, 2 hits, and four runs given up.

Alex Sparks would get the start on the mound for the Bulldogs as he would go for 4 2/3 innings. Sparks recorded 4 strikeouts, 2 walks, 3 hits, and two runs given up.

The hot bat of Max Marusak stayed hot as he got the Cajuns started with a solo shot to give Louisiana a 1-0 lead at the end of the 1^st. The Cajuns would score another run in the top half of the second with a double steal. That steal would also break the school record for most stolen bases in a single season with 146.

The Bulldogs did not stay silent for long as they exploded at the bottom of the second. Matulia would get it going with a solo shot to make it a 1-2 deficit. A triple from Meyers and a single from Hegwood would tie the game up before a two-run blast from Davis would give Tech the 4-2 lead. The Bulldogs would get two more in the third with the help of two bases-loaded walks to make it a 6-2 Tech lead.

The Cajuns got a big two-out rally in the top of the fifth as Higgs pushed a run across with an infield single. That set up Julian Brock and Carson Roccaforte with back-to-back RBI doubles to tie the game up a 6-a-piece. The Cajuns wasted no time in the sixth as DeBarge RBI singled to put the Cajuns back on top 7-6 as John Taylor added an RBI of his own in the seventh to put the Cajuns up 8-6.

Things would get interesting once again as the Cajuns would walk a runner home for the third time in the game to make it an 8-7 game in the bottom of the seventh. The Bulldogs didn’t let the momentum stop there as Burchfield takes one deep for a grand slam to give Tech the 11-8 lead. Drost added an insurance run in the 8^th as he went yard for a solo shot to put the Bulldogs up 12-8.

The Cajuns fall to 32-18 on the year and the Bulldogs improve to 25-25 on the year. The Cajuns outhit the Bulldogs 15 to 11 and also recorded 1 error to the Bulldogs' 0. The Cajuns will return to the Tigue on Friday as they take on Texas State for a three-game SBC series.