Cajun Pitching Stymies Tech, 3-1
Four Louisiana pitchers held a hot hitting Louisiana Tech team to just six hits Tuesday night as the Ragin' Cajuns defeated the Bulldogs 3-1 before a paid crowd of 5,138 at M. L. "Tigue" Field at Russo Park.
Evan Guillory (4-2) got the win for the Cajuns, while Cameron Linck (3-2) got the loss for Tech.
Guillory breezed through the first five innings, allowing just three hits and a run, but ran into trouble in the sixth when Raphael Gladu led off with a single off the first base bag and Brent Diaz blooped a single to center. After Guillory hit Chase Lunceford with a pitch to load the bases, Wyatt Marks relieved and struck out both Marshall Boggs and Jonathan Washam before inducing a ground ball from Sean Ullrich to end the inning.
Marks then pitched a perfect seventh, garnering two more strikeouts before giving way to Jevin Huval in the eighth. Huval allowed a leadoff walk but retired the next three hitters. Dylan Moore came on in the ninth and was greeted by a base hit by Washam, but the Cajuns' closer then struck out Ullrich and got Dalton Skelton to hit into a 4-6-3 double play for his ninth save of the season.
"Our pitchers did a great job tonight," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "Evan got us off to a great start and was kind of snakebit in the sixth. But Wyatt came in against their right handed hitters and was great. Then Jevin used his changeup to get us through the eighth and D-Mo did the rest."
Louisiana (29-19-1) got on the board in the fourth when Seven Sensley grounded a single to left field and Kennon Fontenot followed with a single. Todd Lott forced Fontenot but Brad Antchak walked to load the bases. Parker Bates robbed Alex Pinero of extra bases with a diving grab in right center, but Sensley scored the first run of the game on the sacrifice fly and Lott came home on Handsome Monica's single to give the Cajuns a 2-0 lead.
Louisiana Tech (32-16) got a leadoff double from Washam in the fifth and he scored on a two out single by Cody Daigle, but that would be all the Bulldogs would muster against the Cajuns' staff.
The Cajuns got an insurance run in the sixth when Fontenot tripled and scored on Antchak's squeeze bunt for the final tally.
Louisiana will play its final midweek game of the season tomorrow night when they face McNeese in a 6:00 game at "the Tigue." Nick Lee (5-4) will get the start for the Cajuns. The game can be heard on ESPN 1420 beginning at 5:30.