Cardiac Cajuns claw way to regional final

The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team rallied in the ninth inning for the second straight game, scoring two runs in the bottom of the frame to knock off No. 13 Houston, 2-1, Sunday and advance to the championship round of the NCAA Tournament’s Houston Regional at Cougar Field.
The Cajuns (41-21) were held to just one hit through the first eight innings against Cougar (43-19) freshman Seth Romero but managed to scrape out a pair of runs against Romero and reliever Aaron Fletcher in the game’s final frame.
Right fielder Dylan Butler scored the tying run on a squeeze bunt from centerfielder Kyle Clement with one out in the inning after leading off with a walk.
Two batters later, Fletcher hit designated hitter Tyler Girouard with the bases loaded to force in the winning run.
The Cajuns advanced to play for a regional championship today at 1 p.m. against No. 19 Rice, who eliminated Houston with a 3-2 win in 20 innings Sunday.
Rice will have to defeat the Cajuns twice today, with an if-necessary game tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m.
The Louisiana-Lafayette pitching staff kept the Cajuns within striking distance all day as Gunner Leger struck out four and allowed five hits in six innings in his first NCAA Tournament start before Greg Milhorn took over. Milhorn picked up the win with three scoreless innings of relief. In all, Cajun pitchers allowed seven hits without issuing a walk.
“Gunner did a great job for us,” ULL head coach Tony Robichaux said in a news release. “To limit those guys to one run as a true freshman, on the road in an NCAA regional, is just phenomenal. But that is our system. Not to be all-conference, but to give our guys and our hitters a chance to win, and he has really done that this year. He gave up that one home run, but it really shows his maturity to go back to the grindstone and kept us in the game. We felt like he was losing his legs there late after working hard for us in the Sun Belt Tournament, so we went to Millhorn, and he did a great job for us like he has all year.”
Romero was stellar for the Cougars but took a no-decision after being lifted in the ninth after throwing 113 pitches. He struck out eight and allowed just an eight-inning single to Evan Powell, which broke up a no-hitter with one out.
“I thought our hitters did a good job throughout the game, and their guy was doing some special things,” Robichaux said. “But we told our guys not to get down and to try and offset him with pitching and defense. And I thought we did that.”
It did not take long for the Cougars to go in front as first baseman Chris Iriart deposited his 15th home run this season over the left-field fence in the top of the first inning.
Houston loaded the bases in the top of the second with one out, but Leger bore down and got centerfielder Ashford Fulmer to hit into a fielder’s choice and right fielder Kyle Survance to fly out to right to end the threat without giving up a run.
Leger then retired a dozen straight Cougars before Houston threatened again in the top of the sixth after one-out singles from Iriart and Jacob Campbell.
But the threat went no further as Leger got out of the jam with a punch out of Corey Julks and a pop out from Connor Wong.
Meanwhile, Romero was on cruise control for the Cougars and did not allow a base runner until Girouard’s walk in the fifth.
Still, he faced the minimum until the eighth when Powell’s single and a walk to Greg Davis put a pair of runners on with two outs before Romero ended the inning with a strikeout of Nick Thurman.
After a perfect top of the ninth from Millhorn, the Cajuns offense went to work in the bottom half of the inning. Butler opened the frame with a leadoff walk, prompting the Cougars to go to the bullpen for the first time in the tournament in favor of Fletcher.
After a sacrifice bunt from Blake Trahan, the Cajuns found themselves with runners on the corners following a throwing error on Wong.
And the Cajuns took advantage when Clement laid down a squeeze bunt on a 1-1 count that plated Butler and tied the game.
Stefan Trosclair then loaded the bases with an infield single one batter later, setting up Girouard, who took a 1-1 pitch off the front shoulder to force in the winning run.
Cajuns baseball rallies in 9th to knock off Rice, 7-6
The Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team rallied for five runs in the top of the ninth to erase a 6-2 deficit and gut out a 7-6 win against Rice in the opening game of the Houston Regional Friday at Cougar Field.
The Cajuns trailed 6-2 going into the ninth after a two-run double from Rice centerfielder Ryan Chandler but plated four runs before recording an out in the ninth.
A sacrifice fly from Trahan gave the Cajuns the win.
Louisiana got three hits from left fielder Evan Powell and three RBIs from first baseman Greg Davis, including a two-run single in the ninth.
Will Bacon (6-2) earned the win after tossing 3.2 innings of relief of starter Wyatt Marks. Marks allowed three runs — two earned — on four hits in 4.1 innings with two walks and three strikeouts.
Freshman right-hander Dylan Moore set a new school record with his 12th save this season with a perfect bottom of the ninth.
Austin Orewiler took the loss for the Owls, falling to 5-2, after allowing two runs in the ninth without recording an out. Rice starter Blake Fox held the Ragin’ Cajuns to two runs on four hits in 6.1 innings.
Rice broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth as right fielder Charlie Warren scored on a sac fly to centerfield by first baseman Connor Teykl.
Later in the inning, second baseman Ford Stainback came home on a passed ball with two outs to give the Owls a 2-0 advantage.
In the bottom of the fifth, Rice added another run on a squeeze bunt by third baseman Grayson Lewis to make the score 3-0.
The Cajuns got on the board in the top of the sixth on a two-out double driven inside the third base bag by third baseman Joe Robbins to cut the Owls lead to 3-1.
Louisiana-Lafayette pulled within a run in the top of the seventh when Davis plated Girouard with a ground ball to third.
But the Owls got the run back in their half of the seventh on an RBI single from Grayson Lewis and added two more one inning later when Chandler lined a double into the left-field corner to up the lead to 6-2.
The rally inning opened when Clement reached on a wild pitch on a swinging third strike, followed by a pair of walks to Trosclair and Girouard.
Powell then delivered his third hit of the day, an RBI single to left field, and Davis followed with a rocket single to center to plate a pair and cut the Owl lead to 6-5.
Louisiana-Lafayette loaded the bases once again one batter later when Thurman reached on a throwing error on an attempted sacrifice bunt, setting up Butler, who drew a five-pitch walk, to knot things at 6.
Trahan then put the Cajuns up 7-6 one batter later with a sacrifice fly to center on an 0-2 pitch.