Louisiana Baseball Loses to Cincinnati, Faces Elimination Game

(STARKVILLE, Ms) - Louisiana dropped its opening game of the NCAA Starkville Regional on Friday, falling to No. 22 Cincinnati 12-2 as the Bearcats clubbed six home runs to put the Cajuns in an early hole.

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Jack Natili did the most damage for Cincinnati, going 4-for-4 with three home runs and driving in a chunk of the Bearcats' offense. Nathan Taylor held Louisiana largely in check over six innings, allowing just one run on three hits while walking four and striking out three.

Cajuns Grabbed the Lead, Then Things Fell Apart

The Cajuns actually got on the board first. Noah Lewis drew a walk in the first inning and scored all the way from first when a single by Lee Amedee was misplayed into a three-base error, giving Louisiana a 1-0 lead. That's where the good news ended for a while.

Cincinnati responded in the second when Natili tied it with a solo shot, then blew it open in the fourth with a five-run inning that included a two-run homer from Enzo Infelise, an RBI triple from Christian Mitchelle, and a two-run blast by Charlie Niehaus. The Bearcats kept adding on through the fifth and seventh as their home run barrage pushed the lead to double digits. Starter Cody Brasch took the loss, giving up seven runs on eight hits over four innings.

Cajuns Face Lipscomb in Elimination Game Saturday

Louisiana did scratch across a second run in the seventh when Donovan LaSalle singled, moved up on a wild pitch, and scored on a two-out single by Maddox Mandino. It was a footnote to a rough afternoon for the Cajuns, who finished with five hits.

Now sitting at 39-24, Louisiana faces Lipscomb (29-25) in a must-win elimination game Saturday at 3 p.m. The game streams on ESPN+ and airs locally on KPEL 96.5. The Cajuns are making their 20th NCAA Regional appearance. The tournament run isn't over, but Saturday is a one-game season.